Islam Makhachev says he will be ready to defend his welterweight title in August and considers Ian Machado Garry the number one contender, while also predicting Ilia Topuria will defeat Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.
Makhachev spoke to UFC on TNT Sports while attending the Champions League final in Budapest.
“Right after here I’m going to camp and I don’t know, August, I will be ready. A lot of contenders, but No. 1 is Ian Garry and we have still a couple more who want to take the belt, but I don’t give to no one.”
Makhachev weighed in on the Topuria vs. Gaethje lightweight title unification bout on June 14.
“Topuria is a new generation, but Gaethje, I still believe Gaethje can do some things, but he’s a little bit old right now. He’s a good fighter, legend, he showed us very, very good many, many fights, but now I think it’s Topuria’s time for lightweight.”
On Conor McGregor’s return at UFC 329 against Max Holloway, Makhachev was measured.
“It’s good, it’s good. Big name for our sport, but he has a tough opponent. Max Holloway against Conor, I think Max can beat him.”
Makhachev has been absent since claiming the welterweight title over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in November. He is targeting UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia for his return.
The first UFC welterweight title defense for Islam Makhachev is nearly set, and it appears that Philadelphia will be getting a noteworthy title fight in the division.
Per a report from Alvaro Colmenero, Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry is being targeted to headline UFC 330.
Colmenero reports that Michael Morales is out of the running for the next title shot.
Colmenero also added that Makhachev has asked for UFC 329 in July, during the UFC’s International Fight Week, but UFC 330 in August is more likely.
Makhachev surrendered the UFC lightweight championship last year to move up to welterweight. At UFC 322 in November, Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena to become the new welterweight champion.
Garry, the Cage Warriors and UFC veteran, will enter this title shot off a pair of wins over Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad in 2025.
UFC 330 will take place on August 15 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It will be the UFC’s first visit to Philadelphia since 2019.
Conor McGregor’s next opponent remains uncertain, but UFC CEO Dana White might have dropped a hint, suggesting a possible fight with Ian Machado Garry. Michael Chandler has long been expected to face McGregor, but White’s comments add a new twist to the situation.
McGregor has not fought since his July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, where he suffered a broken tibia. Chandler last fought in November 2022, losing to Dustin Poirier. White previously stated that McGregor would not fight in 2024, with a return expected in early 2025.
Dana White on UFC Ireland
In an interview, Dana White responded to a question about the UFC’s rumored return to Ireland and whether McGregor and Garry would be fighting there. White said:
“Yeah, that’s a great question. Definitely not with those fights. But, yes. I mean, I love Ireland, too. So, [I would] love to go back to Dublin, do a show there. And we’re definitely taking Zuffa Boxing to Ireland, too. “But the Conor/Garry fight won’t be in Ireland.
The situation remains fluid, with McGregor’s return anticipated but the opponent and date still to be determined.
Ian Machado Garry might be teasing that he’s next in line to challenge Islam Makhachev; however, Javier Mendez, Makhachev’s coach, is implying that Garry is no threat.
Garry has recently revealed that he is in Georgia, looking to improve his wrestling abilities for a potential title matchup with Makhachev. Georgia is known for producing high-level wrestling talent, including former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Given the current state of the welterweight rankings, it’s not confirmed who will be the first to challenge Makhachev, but Garry — currently ranked No. 2 — is making a big push.
But according to Mendez, the head of the American Kickboxing Academy, that won’t matter because of Makhachev’s advantages when the fight goes to the mat.
“He does well with Islam on the standup because he’s rangy, he’s tricky, all those — but on the ground, he does okay, but he doesn’t survive on the ground,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “He might survive five rounds, but he won’t get the the best of Islam on the ground. That I’m 100 percent sure about that.
Though Garry has studied judo, he is better known for using his size and range. The 6’3″ welterweight uses his lankiness and frame to get the better of opponents with his striking.
“On the stand up, he’s pretty tricky,” Mendez admitted. “So, one punch can change everything on that. One kick, one punch, one knee…so, that’s a different story. But on the ground, I don’t see him dominating. I see him surviving, possibly…and then the takedown defense, that he is decent, but not great enough to stop Islam from taking him down.”
Mendez also admitted that Makhachev had preferred a matchup with Kamaru Usman, given Usman is a former champion and has perhaps the most star power out of the potential challenger list.
A matchup with Garry, however, is still entertaining and more than welcome.
“I feel good about it,” Mendez said. “He’s a well-known guy. He’s very highly skilled, and I look forward to the challenge.”
Makhachev claimed the welterweight title with a dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The win made Makhachev the latest UFC fighter to win titles in two different weight divisions during their career.
Garry is 17-1 and most recently bested another former welterweight champion in Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar two weeks after Makhachev’s title win over JDM.
The UFC has yet to announce the next title challenger at 170. Shavkat Rakhmonov was recently removed from the welterweight rankings due to inactivity, as he suffered another setback due to injury.
Former UFC star Darren Till has hit out at Ian Machado Garry over his altercation with Khamzat Chimaev.
As we know, Ian Machado Garry picked up a really nice win over Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of UFC Qatar last weekend. After that, however, in the wake of him calling out Islam Makhachev, the Irishman got into an altercation with Khamzat Chimaev backstage that initially seemed to be quite harmless.
Both men have had their say on it, and Ian Machado Garry certainly didn’t have the nicest of things to say about ‘Borz’ and how everything unfolded.
In a recent tweet, Chimaev’s good friend Darren Till had the following to say about Ian Machado Garry.
Ian Garry is such a good fighter man…
But by god is he possibly the fakest human on earth, fake beyond all beliefs. It’s so hard to like him. I’ve literally sat in my bedroom with my own little demons in my head telling me to force myself to like him. He’s calling Khamzat a…
“Ian Garry is such a good fighter man…But by god is he possibly the fakest human on earth, fake beyond all beliefs. It’s so hard to like him.
“I’ve literally sat in my bedroom with my own little demons in my head telling me to force myself to like him. He’s calling Khamzat a child. He was being fake. That whole interaction was fake. And when Ian turned you could see he was scared. Khamzat is like me. That’s why we were best mates.
“If you chat s**t when we see you what is… Ian is a really good fighter but he’s just such so unlikeable. So so so… unlikeable. Even hating on Leon’s performance the way he did. Garry got kicked out of that gym as he did of others cos he’s a wanker at the end of the day.
“As much as he’s a good fighter and I’ve tried to support Ian Garry is just a proper proper wanker… A fake wanker at that…”
Ian Machado Garry has now made his case for the next title shot in a crowded welterweight scene, scoring a win over former champion Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of UFC Qatar.
Machado Garry looked to use his range, while Muhammad appeared to try and pressure and engage in a striking battle with the Irishman. While Muhammad had some control during the opening round, it appeared Machado Garry was landing better with his strikes.
Machado Garry looked to have the upper hand again early in round two, but Muhammad connected a solid right early. Muhammad’s first attempted to get Machado Garry to the ground saw him get back control but unable to score the takedown. Machado Garry fought off another pair of takedown attempts, and he even threatened one of his own.
Machado Garry continued to get the better of Muhammad while using his striking defense to take the third round and win on the scorecards.
Ian Machado Garry Bests Belal Muhammad At UFC Qatar
29-28 Garry. Good fight but there’s no way he deserves a title shot for that performance #UFCQatar
Machado Garry is now 10-1 in the UFC, including two straight wins now since his sole loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 304 but lost it in his first defense against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. This was his first fight since losing the belt.
UFC star Ian Machado Garry has given his thoughts on Carlos Prates being ranked above him at welterweight.
This weekend, Ian Machado Garry will battle former UFC champion Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar. If he’s able to pick up the win, and do so convincingly, he could well put himself in position for a shot at the current king Islam Makhachev.
Islam won the belt by defeating Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC 322 last weekend. On the same card, Carlos Prates, who Ian Machado Garry has previously defeated, also secured a big victory – as did Michael Morales.
With Morales and Prates now both ranked above him, Ian Machado Garry was asked in a recent interview about his feelings towards the rankings.
Ian Machado Garry’s view on Carlos Prates being ranked above him
“They’re kind of irrelevant in my mind to a certain extent because the guys that won should be above me now,” Machado Garry told MMA Junkie on the UFC welterweight rankings. “I understand that. Prates being above me, silly, but I understand it. He did knock out whatever Leon (Edwards) was in the world, No. 4, whatever it was, and Morales did knock out No. 2 in the world, so they should be there.
“I think I’ve been like No. 7 for like the last four fights – it’s ridiculous. They just don’t want to move me up because they know the star power is there, and they’re trying to kind of hone it. I think they’re having a little Conor McGregor (situation): We can’t let this guy disappear. We know what they can do.”
“Come this weekend, when I knock Belal out, I shall take that No. 1 spot. I’m fighting for the No. 1 contender fight. When I win this weekend, this entire welterweight division revolves around me.”
Ian Machado Garry has explained why he doesn’t believe Kamaru Usman deserves a shot at the UFC welterweight championship.
Since before Islam Makhachev even won at UFC 322, Kamaru Usman has made it clear that he believes he should get a shot at the belt. It comes in the wake of a nice win over Joaquin Buckley, which helped him snap a three-fight losing streak that he had been on.
Ian Machado Garry, meanwhile, is preparing to take on Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar, believing that a win could vault him into championship contention.
In a recent scrum, Machado Garry explained why he doesn’t think Kamaru Usman should get a crack at Makhachev.
Ian Machado Garry slams Kamaru Usman
“Do I think the champion of the world, one of the pound-for-pound best in the world should fight a has-been, someone who used to be great but isn’t great anymore? No,” Machado Garry said during Wednesday’s media day.
“Where is he now in the rankings? Eight or nine? The last fight he had was against a guy who had like seven losses in the UFC? No. Islam Makhachev is a phenomenal fighter, and he needs to fight one of the young, up-and-coming contenders, not a has-been who has no knees.”
“If I was Islam, I would want to fight Kamaru Usman, too because it’s an easy paycheck, it’s an easy win, it’s an easy way for me to get my first title defense at welterweight,” Machado Garry continued. “But when you’ve got the likes of me – if you look at the four main contenders right now: Shavkat (Rakhmonov), me, (Carlos) Prates, (Michael) Morales. What do we all have in common?
“Long, tall, rangy, powerful, and full of youth. Way more dangerous than the guy who used to be the greatest. Not in a million years, that to me is a cop-out. You need to fight one of the up-and-comers. One of the guys that are hungry, that have that passion, that have not felt what it feels like to be a champion, that are driven to achieve their dreams.”
Former UFC champion Leon Edwards has thrown a shot back at Ian Machado Garry as the two continue to go back and forth at one another.
On Saturday night, Leon Edwards faces a big challenge in the form of a clash with Carlos Prates. ‘Rocky’ is coming off the back of consecutive losses at the hands of Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady, and if he’s serious about climbing back into welterweight title contention, this is an absolute must-win for him.
One man who doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Leon Edwards is none other than Ian Machado Garry. After the controversies surrounding them training together, the Irishman has made no secret of the fact that he believes Leon is on the decline.
In a pre-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, Leon Edwards had the following to say about Machado Garry.
Leon Edwards hits back at Ian Machado Garry
“Ian’s biggest achievement right now in the sport is losing to Shavkat, and that’s facts,” Edwards said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “That’s his greatest achievement, that he can brag that he didn’t get finished and that he lost to Shavkat. If it comes, it comes. iIf it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
Edwards has had to deal with a lot of adversity in his life and career, and although Machado Garry would serve as a really dangerous opponent if the two ever fought, we can’t imagine that he would shy away from this challenge. If anything, he would embrace it.
After suffering his first career defeat in a short-notice outing, Ian Machado Garry, in another fairly short-planned fight, scored a unanimous decision win over Carlos Prates, potentially rebounding as he seeks a title opportunity.
Garry started things off with plenty of low kicks, working his range well. While Prates got in a bit of leg kicking late in the round, he slipped in the closing seconds. Garry landed some hard ground-and-pound, though Prates seemed to take it well. Garry and Prates had several exchanges during the second round, but Garry seemed to get the better of Prates again — courtesy of more distance management and combinations, including one involving a kick that caught Prates’s attention.
Prates seemed to lack urgency, which continued into the third round. Garry landed a combination ending with an uppercut that backed Prates up. Garry would score a takedown not long after, becoming the first fighter to earn one against the Brazilian.
Garry continued to work his game — at one point having landed more than Prates had thrown in terms of strikes — but Prates began to push things by the end of the fourth. This continued into the fifth, with Prates landing a number of combinations and being the fighter coming forward. Garry tried to tie things up, mixing in striking all the while, but Prates ended up landing on top in a takedown attempt.
There, Prates landed serious ground-and-pound that did damage. Prates continued to land powerful shots, but not at a pace that it was enough to finish the fight. Garry survived the round and earned a decision.
Ian Garry Outworks Carlos Prates For Decision Win In UFC Kansas City Headliner
send the fighting nerds 2-3 years dagestan and maybe they can be champs one day, they're gonna get fraud checked one by one starting with prates pic.twitter.com/6Km8gJ80MQ
Garry came into this bout off of his first professional loss at UFC 310, taking a short-notice bout and losing to Shavkat Rakhmonov. Prior to this, the former Cage Warriors welterweight champion had scored victories over the likes of Michael “Venom” Page, Geoff Neal, Neil Magny and Daniel Rodriguez.
Prates’s previous four UFC fights have all been Performance of the Night bonus earning, scoring knockouts against Magny, Li Jingliang, Charles Radtke and Trevin Giles.
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was watching closely as two undefeated contenders at 170-pounds met in the co-main event of UFC 310 this past Saturday. Cementing his status as the next title challenger, Shavkat Rakhmonov beat Ian Machado Garry in his first pro win via the scorecards.
Despite taking the fight on a few weeks notice after Belal Muhammad withdrew from his scheduled title defense against Rakhmonov, Garry was able to test the man that many believe to be the boogeyman of the division, so much so that he doesn’t feel like he lost. Later updates on Rakhmonov’s physical health, along with the Irishman’s performance, could be reasons why he didn’t look at his best despite getting the win.
Usman was one of the names that many wanted to see step in to face Rakhmonov on December 7 and Garry has publicly criticized “The Nigerian Nightmare” for not taking fights on multiple occasions. During the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman gave his thoughts on the fight.
Though he said that he doesn’t want to give too much away in case he ends up fighting either man at some point, Usman believes that Rakhmonov and Garry exposed each others weaknesses at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I am a wrestler. Once Ian got taken down a few times, then the fight kinda got away from him. Shavkat, as far as standing and putting the combinations together, he couldn’t really do that well with Ian Garry. There’s holes in both of their games.”
Despite this, Usman went on to give both men credit for the mentality that they showed in the fight.
“It shows how Shavkat is a dog. He’s willing to just do whatever it takes to get in there and get that win, and so is Ian. It’s just that Shavkat was a little bit more of a dog than Ian Garry.”
This result saw Rakhmonov’s 100% finishing rate come to an end as he went to the scorecards for the first time in his pro career. His output is largely what won him three of the five rounds on the scorecards as he landed some effective strikes and grappled with Garry without ever really putting him in serious danger.
In fact, it was the Irishman that had the best moment of the fight after he took his opponent’s back in the fifth round and tried to lock up the rear-naked choke. Garry has received a lot of credit in the aftermath of the fight and rightfully so but new information also points to a reason why Rakhmonov may have looked far more beatable than in the past.
Daniel Cormier posted his immediate reactions to the fights on his YouTube channel as he reflected on the night’s action whilst still being sat cage-side at the T-Mobile Arena. After saying that he didn’t think Rakhmonov looked at his best on December 7, “DC” states that the Kazakh fighter suffered an injury before the fight which he says may have been a torn MCL.
Though Garry still deserves praise for his performance, this would also make his opponent’s display more impressive considering what he was potentially fighting through. The severity of the injury may also impact the time frame for his welterweight title fight with Belal Muhammad that was originally set to take place at UFC 310.
“Shavkat Rakhmonov did not look like himself even though I learned after that he had an injury, I think he might have torn his MCL going into the fight. Granted, with a torn ligament in your knee, you’re not going to look like the killer that you looked like in fights prior.”
There was also some speculation online that Rakhmonov addressed this during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan but the translator did not relay that information though this isn’t confirmed.
Yea in the post fight it looks like the translator said Shavkat had some issues
In the co-main event of UFC 310, Shavkat Rakhmonov remained undefeated as he became the first man to defeat Ian Machado Garry in a welterweight title eliminator. The five-round contest was also the first time that “Nomad” has been to the scorecards in his pro career.
Coming into December 7 off of a six-fight win streak inside the Octagon, Rakhmonov has earned five submissions and one knockout during his time in the promotion. Despite him still winning three of the five rounds on all three scorecards, Garry was able to keep himself out of danger for the majority of the 25-minutes to make it competitive.
The Irishman may not have come away with the win but in his toughest fight to date on short notice, he proved that he belongs at the elite level and to some, he showed that the boogeyman of the division isn’t unbeatable. In his post-fight press conference, Rakhmonov said that though he’s disappointed to have not got the finish for the first time, he gave credit to his opponent for this.
“Who doesn’t want to finish fights? I did everything in my power to do so, but Ian had a great preparation, but I believe next fight I will continue my finishing streak.”
Rakhmonov also agreed with Garry’s sentiment that this won’t be the last time that the two former training partners at Kill Cliff FC will meet inside the Octagon. For now, they will go their separate ways as the 19-0 contender moves on to his title fight with Belal Muhammad which was set to take place this past weekend until the champion withdrew several weeks ago.
“We’re going to keep winning and if he keeps winning, we’re going to meet again.”
The co-main event of UFC 310 next month may be a replacement match-up but as far as a stand-in fights go, they don’t get much better than this one. One undefeated streak will come to an end in Las Vegas as Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Ian Machado Garry over five rounds.
Though there isn’t an interim title on the line following Belal Muhammad’s withdrawal from the card like many expected there would be, both men know what is at stake in this top level clash in the welterweight division. In fact, the two competitors also know a bit about each other already due to the period of time where they were both training out of Kill Cliff FC in Florida.
Following the fight announcement, a video of the opponents sparring some light rounds with one another went out on social media and though there wasn’t much to gain from this footage, it did show that both men have squared off in the past.
As a result, UFC analyst and fellow welterweight contender Michael Chiesa believes that this familiarity will show in the fight. He spoke in a recent interview with Sportskeeda about his thoughts on the bout that will take place the same night as his return against Max Griffin.
Chiesa believes that the element of surprise could decide this fight because of how skilled both fighters are as well as the element of already experiencing each other’s games first-hand.
“I’ll keep it short. There’s some sparring footage that came out of Ian Garry and Shavkat. I think that they’re both gonna be very familiar with each other and I will go out on a limb and say I think this fight goes to a decision. I think these guys are familiar with each other enough to where they’re going to negate a few of the attacks and it’s going to be a matter of who can come in there and throw a new wrinkle into their game to throw off the opponent.”
Ian Machado Garry doubles down on his allegations against “MVP”.
The lead up to UFC 303 was chaotic to say the least. The postponement of the main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler dominated the headlines in the weeks before International Fight Week, and the carousel of replacement fighters that were drafted into (and subsequently fell back out of) the co-main event slot beggared belief.
The bizarre fight card shake-up continued well into fight day, as Dan Ige was drafted in at the last second to replace Brian Ortega opposite Diego Lopes in scenes never witnessed before in UFC history.
— “The Future” Ian Machado Garry (@iangarryMMA) June 27, 2024
Speaking at the press conference after his unanimous decision victory over ‘MVP’ ‘The Future’ doubled down on the accusations.
“We do all these drug tests, we do all this stuff to go, ‘you’re clean, you’re not doing drugs’…but someone came out here and offered money for my information from my team? Thank God Chute Boxe is f**kin rock solid” said the Irishman. “Thank God Chute Boxe go ‘No’…we shut it down and we locked everything down, nothing went out. We had a blackout on Instagram and stuff and socials”.
‘That’s Filthy And That’s Cheating’ – Garry Doesn’t Let Page Off The Hook
Garry said in the post-fight press conference that he has already reported the allegations to the powers-that-be and also queried whether his opponent may have a history of this kind of behavior – and whether there may be evidence of links to gambling.
“For me, I said to the (Nevada State Athletic) Commission, they were like, ‘Look, there’s no rules against it’. I was like, ‘Well let’s make sure there is, because it’s cheating and it’s dirty and we can’t be doing all this stuff when it comes to testing and making sure the sport’s clean, and then people are being dirty in other regards. So let’s make a rule.
“And also, has anyone ever made money on it? Has there ever been any side bets on it? If you know what I know and I’m putting money on it because we have inside information it’s f**kin dirty…so that’s what I think when I said there should be suspension for life. I believe that if you go check the bank accounts and if you go check the bookies I guarantee there’s been some money won somewhere along the line, and that’s filthy and that’s cheating to me”.
