Chute Boxe leader Diego Lima feels that Ian Machado Garry’s stock has only risen despite losing a decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov this past December in Las Vegas.

Lima saw his protégé step in on relatively short notice at UFC 310 to replace welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and come close to choking out Rakhmonov in the fifth and final round. Garry dropped to 8-1 in the UFC, but Lima is proud of his performance.

“I think Ian Garry showed who he is,” Lima told MMA Fighting. “Regardless of the result, I think he showed the f*cking fighter he is, and that he has everything to become the No. 1 of the division. He came close to finishing the fight, unlike his opponent. He almost had it.

“I think Ian Garry, with his age and talent, the attention he draws, has made it very clear that he will become champion of this division sooner or later. And that’s our goal. Regardless of the result, he has grown a lot and climbed many steps in this fight.”

Garry recently flew back to Sao Paulo to gear things up and then start a camp when a deal is done with the UFC, and Lima expects a big name next for his protégé.

“Thinking about the right fight now, maybe we end this year fighting for the belt,” Lima said. “I really believe we can end 2025 fighting for the belt.”

Rakhmonov is likely next for UFC gold against Muhammad, and No. 1-ranked welterweight Leon Edwards battles Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC London on March 22. The next highest-ranked welterweight available is former champion Kamaru Usman, who currently waits for his next assignment.

“Colby [Covington] runs from him,” Lima said. “Colby will never fight him. Colby talks, but doesn’t back it up. He’s that guy that will forever get close and blow it. He can’t earn things with his firsts, so he tries with his words. But I think Edwards and Usman are two names that would take us to the belt.”