Demian Maia confident in Ian Machado Garry’s chances at UFC 330, praises Islam Makhachev’s ‘very good’ BJJ

Legendary judoka and submission artist Demian Maia has found a second career as an MMA coach, and he is enthusiastically backing Ian Machado Garry's upset bid against welterweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Garry, the Irish striker with exceptional reach and height advantages, challenges Makhachev's UFC-record 17-fight winning streak in the main event. Maia, who earned two UFC title shots himself through his mastery of grappling and positional control, now mentors Garry through Chute Boxe, the same camp that recently prepared Charles Oliveira for a dominant win over Max Holloway. Garry secured his title shot with consecutive victories over Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad, suffering only one professional loss—a short-notice upset to Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Maia views the matchup as "a puzzle at an extremely high level of fighting," where Garry's striking precision, distance management, and tactical intelligence face off against Makhachev's elite wrestling, sambo-based grappling, and sophisticated submission-oriented jiu-jitsu. "I think it's a very open fight," Maia told MMA Fighting, emphasizing Garry's size and striking edge while acknowledging Makhachev's champion's poise and adaptable ground game. Maia stressed that Makhachev has previously fought smaller welterweights, and sizing up to Garry's frame could present a new problem.

When asked for a prediction, Maia declined to call the finish, insisting both fighters possess the tools to win by knockout, submission, or decision. "It's a fight where both guys have the weapons and the ability to go all five rounds if necessary," he said, calling the bout "very evenly matched" at the highest level of the sport. Maia himself was reluctant to become a full-time MMA coach, juggling his jiu-jitsu academy, seminars, and UFC commentary duties, but has grown passionate about passing his decades of fight knowledge to rising talent.