Just a few days before the biggest fight of his professional career, #7 ranked welterweight Ian Machado Garry has been forced to admit that he was submitted by his UFC 310 opponent in training.
Whilst most UFC fighters might shy away from facing someone who'd previously tapped them, Ian Machado Garry isn't 'most fighters', he's 'The Future' - and you better believe that the training story is serving to fuel the Irish superstar's fire heading into UFC 310.
Back when 'The Future' was first starting out in the UFC, he traveled to Kill Cliff MMA gym in Florida and ended up training with his incoming opponent, Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Earlier this week, the undefeated Kazakh would claim that he submitted Garry with a choke and in a subsequent interview with TalkSport, the Irish superstar would confirm the story... Albeit with an ominous warning not to dwell on the past.
"Look, if he's hanging onto something like that from training two or three years ago, guess what; do it on Saturday night, do it underneath the bright lights, do it when it matters most - let's see if you can do it.
"I promise you right now that he is not ready for the speed and the beauty - he's going to look at me like 'This guy is beautiful, what do I do?!' - he's going to be left speechless."
When asked to clarify whether that was a yes or no to the submission story, Garry was keen to drive home the fact that 1) Training sessions aren't legitimate fights, and 2) He certainly isn't the same fighter he was all those years ago.
"Yes, [but] it's training. Dude, if I told you about all the people who I have absolutely burned and choked in training, you would say that I'm the best fighter in the world already. But the truth is that we're all learning and practicing in training.
"For me, if he wants to hold onto anything from two or three years ago, then hold onto it - but I'm a different beast than what I was at that point in time... Imma put a hole in his head on Saturday night."
Garry is a sizable underdog to the undefeated Kazakh finisher, the biggest of the main card, but how does he get the victory that'll set him up for a title showdown with Belal Muhammad?
"By just having fun... I am just different, the more I smile and the more I enjoy myself, the worse of a night it's going to be for Shavkat Rakhmonov."
Ian Machado Garry wasn't meant to compete on UFC 310; originally, he was scheduled to headline UFC Tampa the following week against Joaquin Buckley.
However, after champ Belal Muhammad withdrew with injury, Garry would step up for the PPV whilst long-term rival Colby Covington would replace him for the Florida card on December 14.
"He just magically f***** appeared out of thin air," stated Garry on Covington's return.
"He just came out of nowhere didn't he like 'I'll do it!'... That just shows that he's a coward, it proves that he never ever wanted to fight me in the first place."
Ahead of UFC 310, Covington remains ranked just one spot above Garry at #6, with the Irishman then claiming that 'Chaos' is simply terrified of facing him.
"He talks out of his a*** and he's not willing to back it up, he would never, ever, ever step into the octagon with me and face his fears because I am the man who he fears the most."
UFC 310 goes down on Saturday, December 7 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.