Michael Bisping: If Ian Machado Garry can’t cease Shavkat Rakhmonov’s takedowns, ‘he’ll get completed’

Michael Bisping isn’t counting out Ian Machado Garry from profitable at UFC 310 however he acknowledges that his path to victory is way slimmer than his opponent Shavkat Rakhmonov.

The combat that got here collectively on brief discover to function the co-main occasion on the ultimate UFC pay-per-view in 2024 is ready to crown a brand new No. 1 contender within the welterweight division with the winner anticipated to face champion Belal Muhammad as soon as he recovers from a foot an infection that compelled him to attend till subsequent 12 months to defend his title. Each fighters sport comparable undefeated data however Bisping believes the percentages undoubtedly favor Rakhmonov, particularly if he’s capable of dictate the place the combat takes place.

“I’ve mentioned this earlier than, you’ve received to have plenty of respect for Ian Garry,” Bisping mentioned on his YouTube channel. “He didn’t should take this combat however can he cease the takedown? It looks as if all I’m speaking about right here is takedowns. Shavkat Rakhmonov, he’s very tall for the division, as is Ian Garry. They’re each 6-foot-3 and so they’re each competent strikers.

“Ian Garry’s most likely going to bop across the octagon and use the very same sport plan what he did in opposition to Geoff Neal. He’s received to maintain Shavkat Rakhmonov off him. If he can’t cease the takedown, he’ll get completed. That’s no disrespect to Ian Garry.”

In fact, Bisping acknowledges that Garry has a technique that might doubtlessly work in opposition to anyone within the division but it surely’s a harmful sport to play with somebody like Rakhmonov.

Throughout his undefeated run by the UFC with six straight wins, Rakhmonov has completed each single opponent with 5 of these fights ending by submission. Bisping believes if Rakhmonov can make use of those self same techniques in opposition to Garry then he’s prone to stroll out of UFC 310 as a winner with a title shot awaiting him in 2025.

“[Ian Garry] would possibly have the ability to dance round, use the attain, use the vary, use the motion, be quick, be elusive, be good and crisp, be gentle in your toes and be devoted sufficient to not enable himself to get entangled right into a brawl,” Bisping mentioned. “If he does that, Shavkat’s going to come up with him. If he will get a maintain of him, he’s going to get [Ian Garry] down. If he will get him down, it’s going to be lights out.

“Have a look at Shavkat’s final combat [against] Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. A person that’s spent his complete life stopping takedowns. However what did Shavkat do? Boxed his means right into a clinch after which slowly however certainly and methodically labored his means down. So the story in that combat is easy — can Ian Garry cease the takedown? As a result of if he can’t somebody’s ‘O’ goes to go and that’s most likely going to be Ian Garry’s.”

If Garry needs to keep away from that destiny, Bisping means that he would possibly wish to placed on the sort of efficiency that isn’t going to get the group all that excited but it surely provides him a significantly better probability to go away victorious.

Having a Battle of the Evening doesn’t actually matter if Garry loses so Bisping advises him to stay to a primary sport plan and don’t deviate from that simply because a raucous viewers inside T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas would possibly let him hear about it.

“[Ian Garry] does have a path to victory of utilizing the vary, sticking and transferring,” Bipsing mentioned. “The group will boo however who cares in regards to the crowd. Profitable is all that issues.”