Garry On Why He Puts Makhachev On A Pedestal
Ian Machado Garry wants to become UFC welterweight champion by beating the man widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, not by diminishing him.
Garry told MMA Fighting that he deliberately gives Islam Makhachev more respect than past opponents heading into their UFC 330 title bout Saturday in Philadelphia. "I put him on a pedestal on purpose," he said. "I give him more respect than others because it's earned and deserved."
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Garry's Path To Makhachev Title Shot
The Irish challenger climbed back into title contention after his lone career loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in 2024, stopping Carlos Prates and then outpointing former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. He enters the bout 10-1 inside the octagon but a heavy underdog against Makhachev, who has won 16 straight and holds the welterweight strap after dominating Jack Della Maddalena over five rounds last November.
Makhachev told UFC Embedded that Garry only "acts like a bad guy" and promised to humble the challenger. Per Sherdog, the Dagestani champion said he will follow Garry, secure takedowns, and "make him respectful." Makhachev has predicted the fight will not reach the championship rounds, though Garry expects 25 minutes of violence and said both men have their own plans for Saturday.
🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC 330 on Ticketmaster →
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall told his YouTube subscribers he favours Makhachev by decision but acknowledged Garry could land something decisive. Aspinall said he cannot envision anyone at welterweight beating Makhachev at present. The bout headlines UFC 330 on Aug. 16 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with Mackenzie Dern defending her strawweight title against Gillian Robertson in the co-main.
Original reporting:
- mmafighting.com — ‘UFC 330 Countdown: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry’ video | MMA Fighting
- mmafighting.com — Ian Machado Garry explains why he puts Islam Makhachev on a ‘pedestal’ ahead of UFC 330 showdown | MMA Fighting
- sherdog.com — Islam Makhachev vows to ‘humble’ Ian Garry at UFC 330
- sherdog.com — Why Tom Aspinall backs Islam Makhachev to beat Ian Garry at UFC 330
- bjpenn.com — Ian Machado Garry explains why he's putting Islam Makhachev on a 'pedestal' ahead of UFC 330 | BJPenn.com
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