With 18 finishes to his name – six of them in the UFC – it’s easy to see why people refer to Rakhmonov as “The Boogeyman.”

He was originally scheduled to face champion Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title, but had to look for another opponent when the American pulled out of the fight due to injury.

According to Rakhmonov, no one was willing to fight him, including former champion Kamaru Usman and interim titleholder Colby Covington, until Machado Garry took on three weeks ago.

The co-main event is a five-round contest and will determine the number one contender for Mohammed’s title when he returns from injury in the next few months.

It’s an opportunity Machado Garry has had his eye on since he started training as a 10-year-old.

“As a little kid, I sat in Dublin, Ireland and dreamed of becoming a UFC champion. “I’m just one fight away from getting this opportunity and I’m going to take advantage of it with everything I can and whatever means I can,” said Machado Garry.

“He’s gone out there and dominated everyone he’s ever fought and I’m looking forward to proving that I’m better than that man.”

Machado Garry’s last appearance was a decisive win over Britain’s Michael “Venom” Page in June. This victory moved him up to seventh place in the UFC’s welterweight rankings.

A fight against ninth-ranked American Joaquin Buckley was already planned for him on December 14th, which is why he will fight Rakhmonov at short notice following the UFC’s reshuffle.

Rakhmonov is third in the rankings, so the decision to fight him was a no-brainer, according to Machado Garry.

“If I fight Joaquin, the risk is that I lose, the reward is that I win and move up a step in the rankings. With Shavkat, the risk is that I lose, the reward is that I’m the number one contender in the world and I’m the next one to get that belt,” he added.

“So the risk and reward are worth it – go out there, get motivated, enjoy yourself and earn the right to be next in line for that belt.”