LAS VEGAS – Losing zero on his record hasn’t changed the way Ian Machado Garry views his career and his chances in the UFC in the slightest.

The Irish welterweight contender entered Saturday’s UFC 310 co-main event against Shavkat Rakhmonov with undefeated status and left the event without that status, losing out in a unanimous decision. However, despite the loss to Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) does not feel like a loser and even believes that he has proven this once again. Welterweight champion.

“I don’t feel like I lost today,” Machado Garry told reporters at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. “Maybe I didn’t raise my hand, but I came out and fought a giant. I came out, fought the bogeyman and showed he was a damn human being. I went there with three weeks notice, I saved this event, I saved this map and against the scariest man in the division. I went out there and stopped almost everything. There wasn’t a moment where he looked like he was going to finish the fight and I sent him into two submissions. I took him back and had fun.

“I showed that I can compete with the best in the division and proved tonight in the short term that I can absolutely be a champion. I make it through five rounds and there are no gaps in my game. The man didn’t bring me anything tonight. He won by his opinion, and that’s okay. That’s okay. I can live with that.”

It’s unclear at the moment what’s next for Machado Garry, but it’s safe to assume Rakhmonov will challenge UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in 2025.

Machado Garry believes Rakhmonov will win the title, making a possible rematch or even a trilogy almost inevitable.

“I said it before the fight, I believe that he is better than everyone and I believe that I am better than everyone and we will see each other several times,” Machado explained to Garry. “We will see each other several times throughout our careers. I don’t think we’ll see each other just once again, I think it could be twice. I think he’s so good and I know I’m so good.”

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s UFC 310 event hub.