Mendez Defends Garry After White's UFC 330 Criticism

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez pushed back on Dana White's criticism of Ian Garry following the Irishman's loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 330.

White said Garry showed too much respect and not enough aggression in the welterweight title challenge on Aug. 15, according to Sherdog. The UFC president believes that passive approach cost Garry the unanimous decision.

Mendez Calls Garry's Strategy Genius

Mendez disagrees completely. The veteran coach praised Garry's game plan and execution despite the lopsided scorecards. "From that perspective, I get where he [Dana White] is coming from, but he doesn't understand the mentality of a fighter and what Ian pulled off," Mendez said, per Sherdog. "If he understood that, then he'd have a different outlook on it like I do."

Mendez acknowledged the fight lacked fireworks but credited both men's tactical discipline. Garry relied on defensive counter-striking while Makhachev avoided overextending himself. The result was cautious but calculated.

"I understand this more than anybody, probably, on the mental side of it and what I saw from Ian was so impressive," Mendez added. "Being a coach, that was genius on Ian's part."

Garry has not announced his next move since dropping to 15-2 as a professional.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Dana White saw Ian Garry as too passive; Javier Mendez saw ‘genius’