Ian Garry vows to beat Islam Makhachev 'in his own world'

Ian Garry is confident that he possesses qualities Islam Makhachev has never encountered in the octagon. With a welterweight title shot locked in at UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia, Garry has spent considerable effort preparing specifically to neutralize the champion's dominant grappling and wrestling.

Garry attended wrestling camp in Georgia to sharpen his takedown defense, and he has openly challenged Makhachev's assertion that wrestling fundamentals cannot be developed in just a few months. In a recent Instagram post, the Irish contender laid out his tactical blueprint: "He's never fought someone as long and tall as me. He's not fought someone as fast as me. He's never fought someone that has the distance management, the boxing capability, the head movement that I do. And also takedown defense. He might get me down, I hope he does. Because I want to prove to the world that he can't submit me. I want to prove to the world that I can get back up. I want to prove to the world that I can beat him in his own world."

Makhachev (28–1) brings a 16-fight winning streak and a resume loaded with dominant title defenses: he won the lightweight belt four times—a division record—before moving to welterweight, where he decisively dethroned Della Maddalena last November. Garry (17–1) stumbled once, losing a short-notice decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov in 2024, but has since compiled consecutive victories over Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad to secure his title opportunity. He vows to finish Makhachev's historic streak.