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Islam Makhachev reveals his game plan for Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330: ‘I have to follow him, he runs too much’

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2 months ago

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Islam Makhachev reveals his game plan for Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330: ‘I have to follow him, he runs too much’

Islam Makhachev is counting down the days to his first title defense as welterweight champion, and he's confident he's ready for whatever Ian Machado Garry throws at him.

As he gets ready for UFC 330 on Aug. 15, Makhachev and his team relocated to New Jersey for final preparations as the Dagestan native seeks to build on his remarkable resume where he's already a two-division champion and the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. While he didn't want to give away too many secrets, Makhachev is confident enough to expose at least part of his game plan, which is based on scouting Garry and his tendency to hit and move constantly during his fight.

“His skills, I just have to run in this camp too much because I have to follow him,†Makhachev told MMA Fighting at Zuffa Boxing 9. “He runs too much. I know his game plan. We always see his fights.

“He has the same style always. I will try to catch him, take him down, just what I did with my old opponents.â€

One potential advantage that Garry might have going into the fight is that he counts former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira as one of his main teammates and training partners. Of course, Oliveira faced Makhachev back in 2022, although he had a rough night at the office in their only encounter.

Makhachev scored an early knockdown on the Brazilian and eventually wrapped up a win with a nasty arm-triangle choke that forced Oliveira to tap out in the second round. That's why the reigning UFC welterweight champion isn't too concerned that Oliveira has any real knowledge to add to Garry's strategy by the time they make it to UFC 330.

“Charles is going to teach him how to tap fast,†Makhachev joked. “That's it.â€

While Garry is well known for trash-talking his opponents, Makhachev clearly hasn't been paying much attention because the fight is all business for him and nothing personal.

A potential storyline heading into fight week could be Garry trying to secure a measure of revenge for his native Ireland after two of his countrymen fell short going up against members of Makhachev's camp in the past.

Makhachev's coach and UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov famously dismantled Conor McGregor back in 2018 before securing a fourth-round submission win. Usman Nurmagomedov also did his part with a pair of wins over Paul Hughes in the PFL.

So truth be told, Makhachev doesn't really see this as some kind of country vs. country rivalry, although he definitely knows the scoreboard thus far.

“This is just a regular opponent,†Makhachev said. “It's nothing between countries. But still [we are] 2-0 now, it's going to be 3-0.â€

With training camp almost over, Makhachev promises he's left no stone unturned and his team has put everything together necessary for him to make a successful title defense at UFC 330.

“Everything is going very well,†Makhachev said. “We stay in the same gym the last couple of fights. We stay in New Jersey and training at Nick Catone MMA, it's a very nice gym. I have too many of my brothers and friends and sparring partners, almost all the team is here, we're training together.

“Khabib is here. Javier [Mendez] is here. We're training everyday very hard to be ready.â€

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MMA

UFC fighter calls rival a ‘clown’ after illegal knee ends ‘TUF 34’ final

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20 seconds ago

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September 28, 2026

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UFC fighter calls rival a ‘clown’ after illegal knee ends ‘TUF 34’ final
Mehemmedali
Osmanli's feud with Ilimbek
Akylbek Uulu remains unresolved.

Osmanli and Akylbek Uulu clashed in the bantamweight final of “The
Ultimate Fighter 34†on Sept. 26 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Bad
blood developed from their time on Michael
Bisping's team at the “TUF†house, which came to a head at

UFC Vegas 121. Osmanli landed an illegal knee and Akylbek Uulu
was declared the winner via disqualification.

Mehemmedali Osmanli accuses Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu of
exaggerating the effects of his illegal knee

Osmanli landed a knee on a grounded Akylbek Uulu less than halfway
through the first round. Akylbek Uulu couldn't continue, resulting
in Osmanli's disqualification. However, Osmanli has now accused his
opponent of exaggerating the effects of the illegal strike.

Osmanli claims Akylbek Uulu initially grabbed his leg after getting
kneed and believes the Kyrgyz fighter only began exaggerating his
reaction as soon as the referee stepped in.

“He's fake,†Osmanli said on Instagram Live. “First, he take my
leg. When referee stopped, he [put on a] show, like a clown.â€

The loss was the second of Osmanli's professional career and
snapped a nine-fight unbeaten streak.


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MMA

Luke Riley predicts first-round KO of undefeated Tommy McMillen

Published

1 hour ago

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September 28, 2026

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Luke Riley predicts first-round KO of undefeated Tommy McMillen
Two undefeated featherweight prospects could be on a collision
course.

Paddy
Pimblett's teammate, Luke Riley,
has revealed that he is likely to return to
Ultimate Fighting Championship action in December in Las Vegas.
However, the Liverpool native stopped short of issuing a callout.
When asked about a potential fight against Sean
O’Malley's teammate Tommy
McMillen, Riley admitted that he likes the matchup, predicting
a quick finish.

Luke Riley likes a potential UFC matchup with fellow unbeaten
featherweight Tommy McMillen

Riley praised McMillen for bringing more attention to the
featherweight division and said he'll gladly accept a fight against
the polarizing American. The Englishman believes that he'd knock
McMillen out in the first round if they squared off.

“Me and Tommy would have a great fight,†Riley told Ronins MMA.
“Look, I like Tommy. He's bringing the fire back to the division. I
like what he's doing. So, me and Tommy would have a great fight. I
would knock Tommy out in Round 1. 100%.â€

Riley (14-0) has finished two of his three UFC wins since making
his promotional debut last year. He is coming off a first-round
stoppage of Kai Kamaka
III from this past July. Meanwhile, McMillen (12-0) has also
finished two of his three UFC wins since making his Octagon debut
this past April and has earned a bonus for each win.

The
Dana White's Contender Series signee handed fellow prospect
Marwan
Rahiki his first professional loss in a three-round war in a
Fight of the Year contender at
Noche UFC 4.

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MMA

Sedriques Dumas points to late opponent switch following 57-second UFC loss

Published

2 hours ago

on

September 28, 2026

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Sedriques Dumas points to late opponent switch following 57-second UFC loss
Sedriques
Dumas believes a short-notice opponent change worked against
him in his latest outing in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Dumas was originally scheduled to fight Mickey Gall
in a middleweight matchup at
UFC Vegas 121 on Sept. 26. However, Gall was pulled from the
fight due to an undisclosed medical issue less than three days
before the event.
Dana White's Contender Series graduate Luis
Hernandez stepped in on short notice and needed just 57 seconds
to force a tap via a standing guillotine choke in his Octagon
debut.

Hernandez earned a $100,000 performance bonus, while Dumas is now
winless in his last five bouts.

Sedriques Dumas addresses Luis Hernandez loss after Mickey Gall
withdrawal

Considering the late switch after Gall's withdrawal, the bout was
moved to light heavyweight and Dumas weighed in significantly below
Hernandez. Hernandez dominated from the outset and overpowered
Dumas in the grappling exchanges before locking in the finish in
just 57 seconds.

Addressing the loss, Dumas noted that he spent months preparing for
Gall. While he believes that the sudden change of opponent didn't
work out for him, he's unbothered about criticism and vows to focus
on bettering himself.

“To be real, I got nothing to say to people besides I just love
what I do and if you was in a predicament getting ready for
somebody for months, we gotta switch guess what something don’t
work out as favor,†Dumas wrote on his Instagram stories. “I give
two else about what people say how people feel I know I gotta fix
me and that’s just it. Thank you for my team and the ones I asked
you support me. Awesome hope Mickey gets well.â€

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