Ian Machado Garry compares Islam Makhachev fight to McGregor-Aldo

Ian Machado Garry believes his upcoming title fight against Islam Makhachev mirrors Conor McGregor's star-making victory over Jose Aldo nearly a decade ago.

Garry challenges Makhachev for the welterweight title at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on Aug. 15. The Irish contender told High Performance that the matchup resembles McGregor's featherweight title win in 2015, when the Dubliner knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds. Both fights feature an Irish challenger facing the consensus pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport.

Garry embraces McGregor comparisons ahead of Makhachev clash

Makhachev enters the bout on a 16-fight winning streak, tied for the UFC record. The Dagestani champion moved up from lightweight to capture the welterweight strap and holds 29 career wins against one loss. "When Conor fought for his first UFC world title, he fought the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, who hadn't been beaten for a decade, and he knocked him out in 13 seconds," Garry said, per MMA Fighting. "I cannot wait to step into the octagon against Islam and beat him, because there will be no doubt that I have done it against the best."

Garry acknowledged Makhachev's suffocating grappling but insisted confidence would carry him through. "I'm just too good," he said. "I feel like I've been put on this Earth to fight, and there's just a divine guidance that when I get in that octagon, everything just goes my way."

A win would make Garry only the second Irish champion in UFC history alongside McGregor. UFC 330 also features Mackenzie Dern defending the strawweight title against Gillian Robertson.

Photo: Oisinvg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Morning Report | Ian Machado Garry sees parallels between his fight with Islam Makhachev and Conor McGregor beating Jose Aldo | MMA Fighting