UFC welterweight title challenger Ian Machado Garry is looking to bring the UFC back to Ireland and become the country’s next big ticket with a win over Islam Makhachev at UFC 330.
‘The Future’ believes he’ll usurp Conor McGregor as the most successful Irish UFC fighter in history with a win at UFC 330. His fight with Makhachev has been painted as an echo of McGregor’s fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov—still the biggest single fight in UFC history and arguably when the promotion peaked in 2018.
Despite McGregor’s unwavering support ahead of his comeback fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11, Garry still thinks he has what it takes to bring the UFC back to Ireland.
Ian Garry: ‘I Am The Next Superstar of Irish MMA’
“As an Irishman, I want this whole nation behind me when I win this title on August 15th. . . . I want to be the type of guy that brings the UFC back to Ireland,” Garry said at a Matchroom Q&A. “It’s been a long time. I’ve been carrying this flag for Irish MMA for a long, long time.
“With my next fight, I’m the most victorious Irishman in UFC history. I’ll have 11 wins. I want to bring them back here [Ireland]. I have been saying that since day one. I am the next superstar of Irish MMA. I’m going to carry that second wave, and I want to bring them back to Croke Park.
“I want to bring them back to Dublin. I want to bring them back wherever they think they can go because these fans deserve it.”
McGregor fought in 14 UFC fights, winning ten. With a win at UFC 330, Garry would cement his 11th Octagon victory. He would earn the ‘most victorious Irishman’ claim, but most successful would be another issue, since McGregor was the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.
GettyGarry is 10-1 in the UFC
What to Know About Ian Garry vs. Islam Makhachev
Garry enters his first UFC title fight on the back of a two-fight winning streak. His one loss in the UFC came against now-19-0 prospect Shavkat Rakhmonov. Extensive injuries for Rakhmonov allowed Garry to leapfrog him for a fight with Makhachev, and they throw down on August 15th in Philadelphia.
Makhachev will be making his first welterweight title defence since successfully becoming a two-division champion in November 2025. He rides a 16-fight winning streak, tied with Anderson Silva’s 16; a win for Makhachev would give him the longest win streak in UFC history.
UFC 330 only has eight confirmed fights so far:
- (c) Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry; welterweight title fight
- (c) Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson; strawweight title fight
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius; flyweight
- Edson Barboza vs. Estevan Ribovics; lightweight
- Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore; middleweight
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus; middleweight
- Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai; welterweight
- Geoff Neal vs. Chidi Njokuani; welterweight
The most notable fights confirmed so far include Geoff Neal’s return against Njokuani. Neal, once ranked at welterweight, is handed a do-or-die fight against a dangerous Muay Thai striker. Elsewhere on the card, Myktybek Orolbai fights down the rankings against Jeremiah Wells. Orolbai could well be fighting for a top-ten spot with an emphatic victory.
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