McGregor Lauds Garry's Champion Mindset After UFC 330

Conor McGregor backed Ian Machado Garry after the Irish welterweight dropped his first UFC title shot to Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 last weekend.

Makhachev retained the welterweight belt by unanimous decision, handing Garry his first loss in nearly two years and snapping a streak that included wins over Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad. The 28-year-old Garry posted a video to Instagram reflecting on the defeat, as first reported by BJPenn.com, and McGregor responded in the comments section.

Garry Vows To Return After Makhachev Loss

In the Instagram clip, Garry said he felt good about his performance despite falling short. "Tonight wasn't my night. I feel great, I did great, Islam was just better than me tonight, and that's OK," he said, per the report. "I'm bulletproof in my mind. I'll be back. I'm 28 years of age. I just fought arguably the greatest fighter we've ever seen in this sport, and I pushed him to the wire, and I'm so proud of myself."

McGregor weighed in below the post with two words: "Champion mindset." The former two-division UFC titleholder suffered a leg injury seconds into his own comeback attempt against Max Holloway at UFC 329 last month.

McGregor had previously teased a future showdown with Garry for the welterweight strap, a plan that now sits on hold. Garry returns to the division rankings without a clear next opponent lined up.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Conor McGregor lauds Ian Machado Garry’s ‘champion mindset’ after UFC 330 title loss