The UFC 330 main event is less than two weeks away, and Islam Makhachev is doing more than just studying Ian Garry‘s fighting style. He’s also been keeping careful tabs on the Irishman’s recent media appearances. And based on what he’s seen, the reigning UFC welterweight champion isn’t buying the version of ‘The Future’ that’s been shown in interviews.
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Speaking ahead of his first welterweight title defense in Philadelphia on August 15, the Dagestani phenom claimed Ian Machado Garry is simply trying to adopt a “bad guy” persona that just doesn’t suit him.
“I saw his couple of interviews,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “Honestly, he looks very bad in this interview. Better for him training more and do less interview.
“It looks like somebody in the house control him and say, ‘Tell him what to say in the interview.’ He look very bad in the interview… In the fight week, he always try to act like bad guy.”
The comments come after Ian Machado Garry made headlines in recent weeks with a series of confident interviews ahead of his toughest challenge ever. ‘The Future’ recently confessed that he is already thinking about what he will say after defeating Islam Makhachev, as well as who he wants to defend his title against.
“I’m already thinking about who do I wanna defend against,” he told the High Performance podcast. “I feel like you have to think about all of those things. So that when I get on the mic and someone puts a microphone in my face straight after for the post-fight interview, I’m ready.
“I’ve already dreamt, thought, understand what I wanna do next, and it’s just in me. It’s that competitive nature, that competitive spirit I just thrive off.”
He also questioned reports that the Dagestani champion had been dealing with a hand injury before the fight was announced.
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“I heard about the hand injury too. But I don’t believe it,” Garry said on Instagram. “I don’t know what to believe. I can’t imagine he hurt his hand in the last fight with Jack. Maybe he did it in horse riding? I don’t believe it. I think it’s just excuses.
“Everything about him now tells me he doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t want to fight. Mentally, physically, whatever it is. He’s doing the typical thing that all champions do when they get the belt. They try to maintain that position and maintain relevancy by not fighting and staying inactive. When I fight, that all changes.”
So, it looks like Islam Makhachev clearly isn’t impressed with the image ‘The Future’ has been trying to project ahead of their title clash. Instead, the welterweight champion is far more interested in what happens once the cage door closes.
Islam Makhachev predicts submission after the first takedown
The Dagestani phenom believes the challenger’s striking poses certain challenges, but he doesn’t believe Ian Garry will survive for long if the fight reaches the mat.
“This fight, I will take more risks to finish my opponent, because I like finishing my opponents,” he stated in the same interview. “This fight, I think honestly, from the first time when I take him down, I have a chance to finish him.
“Because I saw his ground game—it’s not so good, you know? He have good striking, long reach, long arm, and he control the distance, always go back, but I see when I take him down, it’s gonna be a finish.”
This prediction perfectly fits with the comments Islam Makhachev has already made during this training camp. Just last week, the welterweight champion joked that he’d been running more than usual because ‘The Future’ spends so much time circling and moving away from opponents.
“For his skills I just have to run so much in this camp,” Makhachev told Jose Youngs of MMAFighting. “I have to follow him because he runs too much. I know his game plan because we always see his fights.
“He has the same style always. But I will try to catch him, take him down, just what I have done with all of my opponents.”
However, it won’t be that easy to finish Ian Garry, as he comes into UFC 330 with wins over Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad, and all six of his most recent victories have been by decision. His last stoppage came against Daniel Rodriguez in May 2023. Despite this, his volume striking, if Makhachev fails to take him down, may end up tilting the decision in his favor.
So, it’s no surprise that Islam Makhachev is hoping to make a statement in his maiden welterweight title defense. If his prediction proves accurate, he believes the fight won’t require many takedowns before the night is over.
