Ian Garry Proved Size Could Be Islam Makhachev’s Kryptonite

It’s a common point of contention in MMA and the UFC that skill beats size, but where do we draw the line? Pound-for-pound rankings were drafted so we could compare fighters who, realistically, could never compete with one another on the basis of physicality.

Last weekend at UFC 330, our pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter, Islam Makhachev, proved once again why he holds that top spot by knocking back Ian Machado Garry over five hard-fought rounds. This time, however, it wasn’t the Makhachev steamroll we’ve come to expect; he struggled, and a majority of the media had him winning by just one round.

Makhachev struggled to hold Garry down; the striking was relatively even, and he was outmuscled more than once — Garry isn’t known for being a strong welterweight. He was just that much bigger than the champ.

Islam Makhachev’s Skill Can’t Overcome Size Forever

The unfortunate truth of fighting and combat sports is that size does matter. Size constitutes strengths in different areas, whether it’s having longer striking, a harder chin to find, or a wide stance that is hard to lock arms around for takedowns. Garry had all of these advantages in this fight.

Although he forfeited the only knockdown of the contest, Garry was harder to hit, and he caused the most damage overall with his long punches and stabbing knee kicks. He reversed takedowns and found Makhachev’s back, using long legs to scramble. He stole the third round on all cards by keeping Makhachev on the end of his long-range weapons.

What needs to be understood is that while Makhachev is giving up two to five inches in height, he’ll always be in imminent danger. He doesn’t have the benefit of safe range and must put himself in danger in order to gain ground on his opponents. You could argue he was physically stronger than Garry in terms of grip and grappling, and that made a difference. But it won’t always be available.

If Makhachev doesn’t retire, sooner or later he’ll come up against a welterweight with all of Garry’s advantages, plus the strength—strength where a simple high guard won’t be enough to block a head kick, or where it’ll be more of an equaliser when Makhachev locks his grip around the hips.

Makhachev has registered interest in fighting Michael Morales or Carlos Prates next, and while these fighters aren’t as well-rounded, they’re certainly stronger than Garry. It’s a testament to Makhachev’s skill that his upper limit is literally where size starts to overtake technique. At the rate that he fights, we’ll likely see the Dagestani champion defend one or two more times before calling it a day.

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