Ian Machado Garry has talked about becoming UFC welterweight champion since the day he first arrived in the promotion, but after amassing a 10-1 record in the octagon, he’s finally getting his chance when he faces Islam Makhachev in the UFC 330 main event.
In the leadup to the fight, both men have made bold predictions on how things are going to end, but there hasn’t been any trash talk that truly goes over the top or out of bounds to make it personal. If anything, Garry admits that he’s gone out of his way to show even more respect to Makhachev than he has some of his past opponents because he sees no reason to tear down the person almost universally recognized as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
And that’s exactly who Garry wants to beat to become UFC champion.
“If anything, I put him on a pedestal on purpose,” Garry told MMA Fighting via Betvictor Casino. “I give him more respect than others because it’s earned and deserved.
“I put him on a pedestal as the best fighter walking the planet right now until proven otherwise. Because that’s the person I want to beat to become champion of the world.”
Makhachev hasn’t really said anything disrespectful towards Garry but he has predicted that the fight won’t make it past the third round.
While he did go to decision in his most recent outing to become UFC welterweight champion, Makhachev is a well-known finisher with some of the nastiest ground work in the sport.
But Garry actually takes no offense that Makhachev is so confident in the outcome of this fight because as one of the most dominant fighters to ever compete in the UFC, he’s earned that right.
“I think Islam is more than prepared for 25 minutes of violence,” Garry said. “He is a man who is dangerous in every round. He should feel confident. He should feel like he can get the job done because he’s done everything to warrant that feeling.
“However, the fights aren’t that simple and when he steps across the octagon from me on Aug. 16, I have my own plans. I have my own ideas on who’s going to win. That’s what everyone is going to tune in to find out.”
Garry is finally getting his opportunity to compete for UFC gold after he made a slow and steady climb up the ranks, but he also had to deal with some adversity after suffering the only defeat of his career when he fell to Shavkat Rakhmonov in a close decision back in 2024.
As heartbreaking as it was to taste defeat for the first time, Garry never lost faith and he just got back to work with more determination than ever to reach his ultimate goal becoming UFC champion.
After his lone loss, Garry took out Brazilian human highlight reel Carlos Prates and then scored an impressive win over former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad to put himself in position to fight Makhachev on Saturday.
Garry knows this is finally his chance to prove to himself and the rest of the world that he truly is the best welterweight in the world and he promises he’s not going to waste it.
“It’s a destiny fulfilled,” Garry said. “There has been nothing else. No other focus. No other drive. No other goals. I want to be champion of the world. When you’re the UFC champion, you are considered one of the greatest fighters on the planet. That is what I want.”
