Garry Accuses Covington and Usman of Turning Him Down
Before the December 2024 fight cards, Ian Machado Garry said he had tried to arrange matchups with Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman and accused them of declining. Those were Garry’s claims in an interview with Ariel Helwani; they do not independently establish either fighter’s reasons for not taking a bout.
How the matchups changed
Garry was initially preparing for a December bout with Joaquin Buckley. When welterweight champion Belal Muhammad withdrew from the December 7 card, Garry was matched with Shavkat Rakhmonov instead. Covington then faced Buckley one week later in Tampa. The switch put Garry in a five-round co-main event against an unbeaten contender, while Covington headlined the later card.
Results
Rakhmonov handed Garry his first professional loss by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 48–47. In Tampa, Buckley defeated Covington by doctor’s stoppage at 4:42 of round three. The official scorecards from the December 7 event and Tampa event scorecards record both outcomes.
Garry’s interview is best read as his account of the matchmaking discussions and his criticism of two former champions. The eventual bookings and results are confirmed separately by the event records.
