Analysis: Shavkat Rakhmonov showed progress in Ian Garry fight despite close decision

A detailed re-watch analysis of Shavkat Rakhmonov's fight with Ian Garry highlights several areas of improvement for the Kazakh fighter. Rakhmonov showed significant progress at mid-range compared to his Stephen Neal fight, landing diverse strikes including jabs, right overhands, left hooks, and spinning backfists. He dominated the clinch in the first four rounds and became the only UFC fighter to take Garry down twice in the center of the cage. The analysis notes concerns about Rakhmonov's inactivity at long range, where he conceded significant points on leg kicks, scoring only 1.75 points to Garry's 19.5 at distance. However, Rakhmonov won the middle distance 15.75 to 10.25 and close range 18.5 to 11.7, with overall scores roughly even at 40-40. The writer concludes Rakhmonov remains elite, ranking him a quarter or half-class above Garry and full class above Belal Muhammad, though potentially a quarter-class below Islam Makhachev.