Islam
Makhachev is leaving no stone unturned in preparation for his
first welterweight title defense, roping in fighters with a similar
build to Ian
Garry.

Makhachev is scheduled to put his
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line
against Garry in the main event of UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The
Russian has reportedly brought in Alvarez from Spain to help him
get familiar with his upcoming Irish foe's frame.

Joel Alvarez helps Islam Makhachev prepare for Ian Garry's
height, range and distance game

While Makhachev is a heavy favorite going into UFC 330, a lot has
been made of Garry's defensive savviness and distance management.
Alvarez stands at 6-foot-2 and is also adept at fighting at a
distance and using his range as an advantage, which is likely why
he's been summoned to assist Makhachev. The Dagestani's teammate,

Professional Fighters League champion Usman
Nurmagomedov, has also been mimicking Garry ahead of UFC
330.

The former lightweight champion and current No.1 pound-for-pound
fighter previously praised Alvarez after his knockout win over
Thiago
Moises in 2021 and the Spaniard subsequently expressed
gratitude while revealing that he and his training partner would
role-play Makhachev and Khabib
Nurmagomedov during sparring.

Alvarez is 8-3 in the UFC with all of his losses coming against
elite opponents. The 33-year-old is coming off a submission defeat
to Yaroslav
Amosov at
UFC 328 this past May that snapped a four-fight winning
streak.

Alvarez's jiu jitsu coach, Tito Beltran, revealed the news on
Instagram while announcing that “El Fenomeno” won't be available
for a camp in August in Valencia, Spain.

Jessica
Andrade is not above working a regular job to make ends
meet.

The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight titleholder has been
sidelined for nearly a year while recovering from a shoulder
injury. During her hiatus from competition, the Brazilian has
turned to working as a delivery driver.

Jessica Andrade explains why she’s working as a delivery driver
during her UFC injury layoff

Andrade, who has fought 30 times in the UFC, winning the 115-pound
title and also challenging for the flyweight belt, has been away
from action for almost a year now. However, it hasn't stopped her
from finding alternate paths of income.

“Thank God I managed to save some money, so things are going well,â€
Andrade said in an interview with Ag Fight. “But whenever I need
to, I work as a delivery driver. I deliver meals and things like
that. I just pick up orders through an app and make the deliveries.
I do whatever it takes. I'm not afraid of hard work. I can do just
about anything.â€

She also took up another project recently, helping a friend
renovate their house.

“Recently I started a project at [a friend's] house, installing
artificial turf,†she said. “Her backyard was nothing but rocks. I
went there and removed all the rocks from the ground. I thought,
‘I'll give this a try. If I'm good at it, it's one more way we can
make some extra money whenever we need it.'â€

Andrade has spoken publicly about financial struggles before. In
2018, she revealed that she sold UFC memorabilia to help make ends
meet. She also disclosed that her former management failed to pay
taxes owed from several of her 2023 bouts.

While Andrade has yet to lock in her next fight, she remains
focused on her rehabilitation as she works towards her Octagon
return.

MMA analyst Dominick Cruz has given his thoughts on Conor McGregor's potential recovery from his recent knee injury.

At UFC 329, Conor McGregor suffered a nasty knee injury that will likely keep him out of action for quite some time. Some even feel like it is the final nail in the coffin of his career, especially when you consider that he recently turned 38 years old.

RELATED: Logan Paul urges Conor McGregor to join WWE because he's ‘cooked' in MMA: “He has a lot of people fooledâ€

McGregor has been able to come back from injuries in the past, but after everything he's been through, it's going to be a really tall order for him to make the walk to the cage again before finally riding off into the sunset.

Dominick Cruz, who knows a thing or two about picking up injuries, had the following to say when discussing McGregor's chances of a successful return.

Cruz's view on McGregor's injury

“I have nothing but positive energy to put toward him in his healing,†Cruz said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.†“An ACL, meniscus tear is what I heard it is, and I knew in my gut it was an ACL. You just don't know to the extent. Sometimes you can tear the ACL and everything else, but he just tore a meniscus and ACL, which is very repairable.

“The good news is because it's an ACL and meniscus – meniscus, that doesn't stop you. If it was MCL, he'd be stuck for a little while, like frozen for I think two to three months before you can even start bending the leg. He should be able to start moving that leg right away, which will really quicken the healing process for him.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

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