Charles
Oliveira believes Ian Garry can
dethrone Islam
Makhachev.

Garry (17-1) is scheduled to challenge Makhachev (28-1) for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title at UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Center in Philadelphia.
Oliveira claims the challenger's fighting style will fare well
against the reigning pound-for-pound king.

Charles Oliveira breaks down why Ian Machado Garry could
threaten Islam Makhachev at UFC 330

Garry regularly trains with Oliveira at
Chute Boxe in Brazil and “do Bronxs†believes the Irish
170-pounder has a good chance of beating Makhachev.

Oliveira, who shared the Octagon with Makhachev in 2022, credits
Garry being a “strategic fighter†as the former
Cage Warriors champ's greatest asset.

“Ian has a very good chance of beating Makhachev,†Oliveira said in
an interview with MMA Fighting. “I'm not saying that because he's
my friend or because he's part of our team, but because of what we
have seen and how he's been training. We know there's an incredibly
tough guy on the other side, someone who deserves all the respect
in the world… But honestly, in my opinion, Ian has a great chance
of winning because he's such a strategic fighter and never abandons
the game plan.â€

Charles
Oliveira says Ian Machado
Garry has a “very good chance” of dethroning Islam
Makhachev at #UFC330

(Via @guicruzzz)
pic.twitter.com/RpmUll5Zzh

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting)
August 3, 2026

Paul
Hughes believes fighters are cheating the
Professional Fighters League's current drug testing
program.

Hughes recently called for increased drug testing in the merger
between PFL and Jake Paul's

Most Valuable Promotions.

Paul Hughes on PFL drug-testing: ‘Not good enough'

PFL lightweight Alexandr
Shabliy was recently suspended for six months after testing
positive for recombinant erythropoietin (rEPO) in an
out-of-competition sample. Hughes believes Shabliy should have been
banned for life instead. Hughes also wanted the same for former PFL
champ Movlid
Khaybulaev, who was banned for a year and stripped of his title
after testing positive for rEPO last year. The Irishman claims he
has only been drug tested a day before his fights, which is
inadequate.

“I have seen Shabliy calling for the next title shot,†Hughes said
on social media. “He got popped for EPO… The guy should be f*cking
banned for life. And speaking of that, PFL-MVP merger here, I'd
need to see increased drug testing. There's him getting done for
EPO and a six-month suspension. What the f*ck even is that ban?
There's Khaybulaev, former PFL featherweight champion out of team
Khabib, popped for EPO as well. Should be banned for life… All the
drug testing that I have gotten has been just a day before the
fights. That's not good enough; people are cheating that.â€

An elite
middleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte: Tune in on Friday, Aug.
7 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The PFL's drug-testing partner is USADA, the former drug-testing
partner of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. As the merged promotion will
operate under the MVP banner, it remains to be seen if they will
continue with USADA.

Hughes (14-3) has made two unsuccessful title bids against Usman
Nurmagomedov in his last three outings. He claims he was unable
to train for six weeks due to back-to-back surgeries ahead of his
rematch against Nurmagomedov last October.

Addressing some things.

Nurmagomedov could be No1 in the world right now, congrats to him.
But that story is not finished.

I would like to see more drug testing in the new era of MVP/PFL.
Drug cheats should be banned for life.

Alfie
Davis, I will finish your career if you… pic.twitter.com/qA7iglqYcC

— Paul
Hughes MMA (@paulhughesmma)
August 3, 2026

Islam Makhachev could potentially move from the Octagon to the ring after a few more Mixed Martial Arts appearances.

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev will look to retain the throne against rising contender Ian Machado Garry in the UFC 330 main event later this month. Makhachev returns to the Octagon after defeating then-welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last year.

Makhachev enters UFC 330 as the UFC's top pound-for-pound fighter. After Ilia Topuria's recent loss to Justin Gaethje, Makhachev has the chance to expand his lead over the second-best pound-for-pound combatant when he returns to the cage.

Makhachev, a top protege of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, is known for his elite wrestling. But his striking has also grown leaps and bounds in recent years, as evidenced in recent wins over Dustin Poirier and Alexander Volkanovski.

As of this writing, UFC fighters aren't allowed to crossover into Dana White's Zuffa Boxing promotion, but Makhachev wants to become the first to buck the trend.

Islam Makhachev targets eventual Zuffa Boxing fight after ‘good talks' with Turki Alalshikh

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Makhachev revealed that his recent attendance at a Zuffa Boxing event prompted a surprising fight offer.

“We had good talks about a boxing match, in Zuffa Boxing with Turki Alalshikh,†Makhachev said.

“I don't know if it's a secret or not, but he said ‘When you're ready for boxing, just let me know, and we'll do something'. Why not? Box with some other fighters, why not?Turki has asked me a few times, and I've just told him to ask Dana.

“I'm ready, any time.â€

Makhachev isn't the only top UFC fighter to tease a potential move to the Zuffa Boxing arena. Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley has also expressed interest in fighting in Zuffa Boxing, despite White's reluctance to let him cross over.

What is your prediction for Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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