Shavkat Rakhmonov claims two former champions and a Brazilian turned down a fight with him at UFC 310

Rakhmonov is ranked third in the welterweight division. Photo: Reproduction/ Instagram

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The last few weeks have been filled with apprehension for Shavkat Rakhmonov , who was due to face Belal Muhammad for the welterweight belt (up to 77,1 kg) at UFC 310 this Saturday (7), but saw the champion get injured and start a saga about who would be the replacement for the fight. The chosen one was Ian Garry , who, according to the Kazakh, was far from being the first option.

In a recent interview with 'Submission Radio', the Kazakh fighter stated that three other names, including two former champions and the Brazilian Carlos Prates , were approached to replace Belal Muhammad and face him at this Saturday's event, but they declined the offers.

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“I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman , but he didn’t accept the fight. They also offered it to Carlos Prates , but he was injured. Colby Covington refused the fight. I’m happy that Ian Garry accepted, because it’s going to be a great fight,” he stated.

Among the rejections, Shavkat Rakhmonov pointed to that of former champion Kamaru Usman as the one that bothered him the most, claiming that the Nigerian had accepted the fight offer and then backed out.

“I don’t know. At first he accepted the fight, then he rejected it. Maybe he didn’t want to risk it, of course he doesn’t want to lose,” he concluded.

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry face off in a clash of undefeated fighters in the co-main event of UFC 310 , this Saturday (7), at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, United States.

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