Shavkat Rakhmonov beats Ian Garry in close UFC 310 clash – live

Pantoja is just so good. Asakura had his moments, landing several signature knees, but it wasn’t enough. Pantoja walked through him, in the end. He put the Japanese out cold. Welcome to the UFC, Kai.

Pantoja walks through a hook to get ahold of Asakura. He drags down the Japanese, secures a body triangle with his legs, and works on a rear naked choke…

And Asakura goes out!! It’s all over!!

Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Asakura via second-round submission (rear naked choke, 2:05)

A fast start! Pantoja with a low kick, then a knee, then a takedown attempt! Asakura defends well, but he’s tagged by a hard punch in the next scramble, and Pantoja gets to work on a clinch!

Breathless beginning to this one. Pantoja gets Asakura down, landing in the challenger’s guard. Asakura stays calm and is eventually able to stand.

Hard low kicks by Asakura, and a hard hook upstairs. Great knee to the body – one of his signature strikes. Still Pantoja is stalking forward. Jumping knee by Asakura, though it didn’t seem to fully land.

Decent left hook by Pantoja. Asakura is switching stances; Pantoja is staying orthodox. Step-in left hook by Asakura, who is all smiles in there.

Pantoja catches a head kick and launches a body kick. Harsh low kick by the champ now. Pantoja with a slick knee to the face, as Asakura defends a takedown! Another body kick by Pantoja.

Both fighters land punches in a frenzies exchange, but overall, Pantoja – statistically – is clearly outlanding Asakura.

Onto the main event! Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Kai Asakura – a former two-time bantamweight champion in Rizin, who is making his UFC debut here.

A strange situation then, but one brought about by Pantoja’s dominance over the existing flyweight elite in the UFC; the Brazilian needed a new challenger.

Japan’s Asakura has fought at flyweight before, but not for seven years. And there’s no doubt that Pantoja is the best that the 125lb division has to offer.

Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47).

The correct score. Rakhmonov stays unbeaten.

And Indy Sport’s prediction that Garry would be the first person to avoid a finish by Shavkat, ultimately losing on points? Also correct, phew.

Belal Muhammad enters the cage to face off with Rakhmonov, his next challenger – whom he was originally due to face tonight, before suffering a bone infection.

Garry’s corner tells him he needs a finish. And early in this final round, Garry ends up taking Rakhmonov’s back, with a body triangle!

Garry is working on a rear naked choke… Wouldn’t it be ironic if he submitted Rakhmonov, after the Kazakh boasted about submitting the Irishman in their old sparring sessions?

Garry is SO close to finishing the choke… Rakhmonov is tucking his chin, turning it into more of a crank…

WOW! Eventually Rakhmonov strips Garry’s weakening grip, before twisting out and getting back to Garry’s guard!

Not too much happens there, and finally the pair stand. Forty-five seconds left…

And we’ll go to the judges’ scorecards.

Unusual moment: Garry had to change shorts before this round, because his pair got torn against the cage! He insisted he wouldn’t rush to change between rounds, so they gave him a bit of extra time.

Back under way. Rakhmonov takes the centre of the ring. More leg kicks from Garry. This is better from the Irishman, but eventually Rakhmonov holds him against the fence.

The fighters move back into space, and Rakhmonov shoots a double-leg takedown… which he gets! He ends up in Garry’s guard, throwing hammer fists whenever he can.

Garry gives up his back, but he’s able to shake off Shavkat! A fun grappling exchange ensues, with both guys trying submissions – a rear naked choke by Rakhmonov, a guillotine by Garry. None of those efforts are successful, though.

Eventually they end up back in the open, where Shavkat misses with a spinning back fist, and Garry jumps a guillotine… but Rakhmonov slips out! He’s in Garry’s guard again. Good strikes from the Irishman from below.

I’d say 3-1 to Rakhmonov after four rounds.

Garry has defended well for the most part, but he needs to get more offence going. Shavkat has controlled much of the action, and has landed the more eye-catching strikes.

Rakhmonov just about lands a head kick. Garry kicks low repeatedly. Rakhmonov lands a short right hook, but Garry replies with one of his own.

The fighters are opening up a bit more now. Another clinch along the fence, as the welterweights trade the dominant position back and forth.

Eventually, referee Marc Goddard separates the fighters. Garry with a grazing head kick. More oblique kicks from the Irishman. Both guys land jabs simultaneously. Rakhmonov juuuuuust misses with a wheel kick! Nice cross by Shavkat before the buzzer.

A closer round, but I’d just lean towards Rakhmonov, for a possible 3-0 lead.

Bruce Buffer with the fighter introductions. Five rounds scheduled here. And off we go.

Both men stand orthodox. Rakhmonov presses forward. There aren’t many strikes thrown before Rakhmonov starts a clinch. He has Garry against the fence, and the Irishman is defending well so far.

Rakhmonov with intermittent knees. He nearly trips Garry, who does well to stand. More knees from Rakhmonov. Now Garry almost trips the Kazakh!

Garry eventually gets out of the clinch and kicks low. Hard right cross by Rakhmonov!! Garry sticks his tongue out, but that jolted his head back!

The pair clinch again in the final 20 seconds of the round, which should be scored for Shavkat.

Garry with some oblique kicks and other low kicks. Decent jab, too. Now Rakhmonov with a stinging jab of his own.

Another fine jab by Rakhmonov, and a low kick by Garry. Neither man is overly committing, though. It’s all been quite chess-like. More jabs and low kicks.

A couple more nice crosses by Shavkat, and this time Garry starts a clinch, holding the Kazakh against the cage wall. Rakhmonov soon reverses the position.

Eventually the pair separate. Rakhmonov lands a spinning back fist! That right side of Garry’s face is already a bit marked up. A left hook just about gets through, too.