Ian
Garry believes defeating
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Islam
Makhachev at UFC
330 would make his greatness “undeniable.”

The Irish welterweight challenges Makhachev for the 170-pound title
in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in
Philadelphia. Considering the Dagestani champion's accolades,
taking the title off him is a monumental feat, according to
Garry.

Ian Garry views UFC 330 clash with Islam Makhachev as a
career-defining fight

Ahead of their fight, Garry acknowledged the magnitude of the
challenge, calling Makhachev the best fighter in mixed martial arts
today.

“I know how good Islam Makhachev is,†Garry told High Performance.
“I know how talented he is. He's 29-1 in the sport. He's a
two-weight division champion. He's the most successful lightweight
champion of all time and had the most lightweight defenses of all
time. He is the current welterweight champion of the world. He came
up a division and won the title. He is tied for the longest active
win streak in UFC history, and if he wins his next fight against
me, he will break the record for the longest consecutive wins.â€

Despite his appreciation for Makhachev’s accomplishments and
skills, Garry remains confident that his own arsenal is enough to
dethrone the champion. “The Future” claims a victory over Makhachev
would remove any remaining questions about his standing in the
sport.

“When I beat him, there can be no doubt. When I beat him, it is
undeniable that I am great,†he added.

Ian
Garry’s recent comments comparing himself to Conor
McGregor haven't gone over well with Islam
Makhachev’s camp.

After “The Future” compared his upcoming fight in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship against Makhachev to McGregor’s
iconic featherweight championship victory over Jose Aldo,
Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, responded with a series of
sharp posts on social media.

Ali Abdelaziz addresses Ian Garry's McGregor comparison ahead
of UFC 330

Garry recently claimed that defeating Makhachev at UFC
330 would elevate him to the top of the sport, comparing the
opportunity to McGregor’s featherweight title win over Aldo in
2015.

Abdelaziz, however, dismissed those comparisons and questioned the
Irishman’s accomplishments inside the Octagon.

“I’ve been listening to Islam’s opponent talking,†Abdelaziz wrote
on X. “Here are the facts: He’s 2-1 in his last three fights. He
was almost knocked out by Prates and got saved by the bell. He has
10 wins in the UFC, and eight of them came by decision. Somebody
needs to give this young man a reality check, because he’s about to
get smashed.â€

Abdelaziz followed with another post highlighting Makhachev’s
accolades.

“Islam Makhachev’s last 10 fights? Eight of them ended in
finishes,†the manager posted. “Three of those wins came against
world champions. The rest were against top-five and Top-15
contenders. That’s the reality. You only got this fight because you
know how to talk. On Aug. 14, the talking stops. Then we’ll see
what’s real.â€

Abdelaziz also rejected Garry’s comparisons to McGregor.

“And he keeps bringing his name up, comparing himself to Conor,†he
added. “First of all, you're not Conor. You'll never be Conor. You
might actually be a better person than him, because I think Conor
has done a lot of things I don't respect. Just be who you are.
Don't try to be somebody else.â€

Makhachev is scheduled to defend his welterweight title against
Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena
in Philadelphia. A win for the Russian not only marks his first
title defense at 170 pounds but would also see him break Anderson
Silva's record for longest win streak in UFC history.

Series of tweets from Ali Abdelaziz on Ian Machado Garry
by u/DavidSeries in
MMA

Dustin Poirier is puzzled by Michael Chandler hinting at a possible move to 170 pounds, and would prefer seeing “Iron†hang up his gloves.

Chandler has long been know for his exciting fighting style, but many believe Father Time has caught up. Chandler has lost four straight bouts and he's gone 1-6 in his last seven fights. In that stretch, the former three-time Bellator champion has been stopped four times.

In his latest effort on the UFC Freedom 250 card, Chandler was finished by Mauricio Ruffy in the opening frame. “Iron†hasn't scored a victory since May 2022 when he knocked out Tony Ferguson with a front kick.

Recently, Chandler took to social media to say he was done “starving†himself, and he has begun to bulk up. Many took this as a welterweight tease, but Poirier hopped on the “Deep Waters†podcast and admitted he doesn't feel it makes sense for Chandler to continue his prizefighting career (via MMAJunkie).

“With all due respect, we buried the hatchet and shook hands,†Poirier said. “But Michael Chandler, what are we doing?â€

“The Diamond†then weighed in on the thought of Chandler possibly moving up to welterweight, and he thinks such a decision would make things worse for his former foe.

“I saw a thing, I don't know if this is official news, but he said he might move up to welterweight,†Poirier said. “If 155ers are stopping you and you're taking all this damage, what are 170ers going to do? He's too short. He's not long enough. I want to know what he's fighting for.â€

Poirier actually started Chandler's rough skid when the two went to war on the UFC 281 card back in Nov. 2022. Poirier submitted Chandler in the third round via rear-naked choke inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Both men earned “Fight of the Night†bonuses.

Do you think Michael Chandler would be best served retiring from pro MMA competition at this stage, or can he still be competitive to some degree? Drop your opinion in the comments below.