Michael Page expected more from Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310.
Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) scored a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in this past Saturday’s five-round welterweight co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Rakhmonov wasn’t able to maintain his 100 percent finish rate against Machado Garry in a fight that mainly played out in the clinch. After watching Rakhmonov go five rounds for the first time in his career, Page is confident that UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad would’ve had his way with him if their initially scheduled fight for UFC 310 happened.
“Rakhmonov couldn’t get anything,” Page said on his YouTube channel. “Landed some good shots, but his fitness and muscular endurance definitely let him down. His balance seems to be very off. This was definitely, by far, not the best Rakhmonov we’ve seen. Although he’s won it, I think anybody looking at this will look at him like, ‘Yeah, I can beat this guy.’
“Not saying he’s not dangerous. You can see he’s definitely a dangerous person, but this wasn’t good. This wasn’t his best performance. Even though he’s definitely won it. From both sides, it wasn’t great. … A hundred percent now, this Shavkat here, if he had fought Belal, Belal was munching him, yamming him for breakfast.”
Page (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is coming off a close decision loss to Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June. “MVP” is rumored to face Shara Magomedov at UFC Fight Night 250 Feb. 1 in Riyadh, although nothing is confirmed.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
