Joaquin Buckley sees Ian Machado Garry doing just enough to beat Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) meets fellow unbeaten contender Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in a five-round welterweight bout Dec. 7 at UFC 310 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was originally scheduled to face Machado Garry at UFC on ESPN 63, before the Irishman was pulled to step in against Rakhmonov a week prior at UFC 310. Although Rakhmonov poses serious threat, Buckley thinks Machado Garry will stick and move his way to a victory.
“A lot of people are not going to believe me, but I think Ian Garry is going to win – by the skin of his teeth just like the rest of his wins that he had,” Buckley told Middle Easy. “Whether that’s with MVP or with Geoff Neal. He does a good job of staying safe and surviving, and if you don’t have the feet to kind of hunt down guys like that, where they’re constantly moving and constantly evading, and you set up traps.
“Obviously, you’re not going to be able to land those power shots. … If you get in the fire with Shavkat Rakhmonov, you’re going to get burned. But I don’t see Ian Garry running into that burning house. He’s going to try to flee and evade the whole time, and I can see Ian Garry getting his hand raised by decision.”
Buckley may have lost out on his fight against Machado Garry, but will still get a big opportunity. He takes on former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 63 headliner on Dec. 14 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
