Ian Machado Garry claims Shavkat Rakhmonov dubbed him as a future UFC champion

According to Ian Machado Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov called him a future champion.

Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) takes on fellow unbeaten welterweight contender Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 310 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Machado Garry revealed that his former Kill Cliff FC coach Henri Hooft, who also coaches Rakhmonov, told him that “Nomad” sees championship potential in him – but not on his expense.

“When I got there, Shavkat was training there as well. Me and Shavkat have trained a lot together,” Machado Garry said on UFC Countdown. “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter. Henri Hooft told me that Shavkat Rakhmonov and him had a conversation, and he said, ‘Shavkat knows you’re going to be the champion one day.’

“But he says, ‘Me first and him later.’ So it’s unfortunate that one of us is going to have to lose, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that he’s not getting his hand raised.”

However, oddsmakers suggest that Rakhmonov is a tough mountain to climb for the Irishman. According to DraftKings, Machado Garry is currently a +300 underdog against Rakhmonov, who’s a -380 favorite.

Since joining the UFC, Machado Garry has tried to soak up as much knowledge as he possibly can by traveling the globe. He went from Kill Cliff FC, to Chute Boxe Diego Lima in Sao Paulo, to now training at Bangtao Muay Thai in Thailand, which has his confidence at an ultimate high.

“There are humans walking around this Earth that have just been gifted talent, and I believe that I’m one of them,” Machado Garry said. “When it comes to confidence, you need to be able to tell the world what you’re going to do and go do it.

“My goal in fighting is to leave behind a legacy where it is unarguable that I am one of the greatest of all time. My rise has been perfect so far, but there’s so much more to come and it’s the future that excites me. … I’m ready, I was born ready for this opportunity. I’m telling you now, (Saturday) I am going to beat Shavkat.”