UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev assessed Ian Machado Garry before they fight this summer at UFC 330.
The UFC officially announced the long-rumored bout between Makhachev and Machado Garry will serve as the headliner of UFC 330, which takes place on August 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The co-main event features UFC women’s strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern against Gillian Robertson. Both matchups are very intriguing on paper, and UFC 330 can’t come soon enough.
Ahead of his big title fight, Makhachev broke down Machado Garry as an opponent.
Islam Makhachev Assesses Ian Machado Garry
Speaking to Red Corner MMA, Makhachev shared his honest thoughts on Machado Garry before their encounter at UFC 330, both regarding his personality and his fighting style.
“How can a man who lost yesterday or the day before yesterday talk any trash? So, I don’t care about his trash talk. Maybe it does some good for the business, but it doesn’t bother me at all,” Makhachev said.
“Style-wise, he’s a very tricky fighter. He constantly runs away, fights off the back foot. His opponents always have to chase him. I wouldn’t say he’s an entertaining fighter. From this perspective, (Michael) Morales, for example, he can wrestle, he goes forward. But ‘going forward’ has nothing to do with Ian Garry.”
Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry Betting Odds
The betting odds for Makhachev vs. Machado Garry came out this week. After a few days of being on the market, the odds currently see Makhachev as a -364 favorite, with the comeback on Machado Garry at +299.
On paper, this should be Makhachev’s fight to lose. After all, he is the UFC welterweight champion for a reason, meaning he is the best fighter in the division. He has elite grappling skills and underrated striking, plus we know that he can go 25 minutes without any issues.
Makhachev has won 16 fights in a row and is currently tied with UFC legend Anderson Silva for the longest win streak in UFC history. With a win over Machado Garry at UFC 330, Makhachev would break that deadlock and own a record that at one point seemed like it would never be beaten.
That being said, this won’t be an easy fight, as Machado Garry is an excellent fighter in his own right who has proven that he knows what it takes to get his hand raised inside the Octagon.
Machado Garry is 10-1 in the UFC, with his lone loss coming against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Since that fight, Machado Garry has beaten Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates to emerge as the top contender in the UFC welterweight division and garner this title shot in one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions.
As Makhachev said, Machado Garry is not the most exciting fighter to watch, and at times, he has been labeled as boring by fans. But there is no doubt he knows what it takes to get his hand raised, and if he can beat Makhachev at UFC 330 and become the UFC welterweight champion, he’ll get the last laugh on his critics.
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