Islam Makhachev respects all of his opponents, but that doesn't mean he needs to express those feelings at the beginning and end of every single round.
But that's exactly what Ian Machado Garry did on Saturday night as he was constantly shaking Makhachev's hand, hugging him or dapping him up during their fight. Garry apparently even offered words of encouragement at certain points during the five-round battle, and while Makhachev appreciated his opponen's graciousness, he wishes that was all saved until the UFC 330 fight was over.
“Honestly, I don't understand,†Makhachev said about Garry's actions during the UFC 330 post-fight press conference. “This is a fight. This is not something we have to hug each other every round. We're going to war. We're going to break the face, to break the eye. I respect all my opponents. But [maybe he's young]. He respects too much.
“I respect him. He's a good guy. Very kind. But this is a war. Look at my face. I just come to beat everything. It's not something you have to play. This is a fight. This is not a game.â€
While Garry's actions didn't change the result in the fight, Makhachev gave him credit for a job well done on Saturday night.
Throughout the 25 minute battle, Garry showcased solid takedown defense while stopping Makhchev from ever getting close to a potential submission.
That said, Makhachev was growing frustrated with Garry's refusal to really engage with him, which made it that much harder for him to set up grappling exchanges or other parts of his game plan he wanted to execute.
“Ian is a good opponent,†Makhachev said. “Very hard to fight with someone who stands and waits. He's just waiting and very hard to show a good performance with someone like that. He stands, I see his leg, I try to take him down. He has some good defense but very hard to show a good performance with someone like that.â€
Makhachev also said there were some slightly dirty moves happening in the octagon at UFC 330, especially when Garry apparently head butted him when they were battling for position on the ground.
When the fight ended, Makhachev realized that his nose was busted up and he believes that was a direct result of the blow Garry landed after they hit the ground during a takedown.
“He gave me too many scratches,†Makhachev said. “He gave me a very hard head butt at the end of the fourth round when I made him slam, you can see he gave me a back head butt. In the fight, I don't remember when my nose is bleeding and right away the blood is coming out. I thought maybe I broke the nose or something.
“He gave me a very hard head butt. It's OK. Hard fight. It makes you improve and I feel I improved.â€
As far as the future goes, Makhachev isn't slowing down or capping how many more fights he might have before retirement. Instead, the reigning UFC welterweight champion is already thinking about how he can get better from this performance and prepare for his next opponent as soon as he's healthy and ready to go again.
“I still have to gain some weight, try to be more big, more power and I have time,†Makhachev said. “What this fight showed me and showed everybody, it's not my hardest fight. It doesn't matter how this fight is going to go, easy or hard, from the first minute to the last minute to the last second, I'm going to war. I'm going to fight every second.â€
Raoni
Barcelos says medical testing has yet to determine why he lost
consciousness during his
Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner against Raul Rosas
Jr.
Barcelos faced Rosas Jr. in the main event of
UFC Vegas 121 last month. The Brazilian led on the judges'
scorecards entering the fifth round but lost consciousness during a
grappling exchange against the fence. Rosas Jr. was awarded a
technical knockout victory, and the 39-year-old Barcelos was
transported to a Level 1 trauma center.
Raoni Barcelos undergoes medical tests after losing
consciousness against Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Vegas 121
Barcelos said he is undergoing tests in Las Vegas to determine what
happened. He hopes to continue fighting but has not ruled out
retirement.
“Unfortunately, we don't know what happened,†Barcelos told MMA
Fighting. “It was a sudden illness. I fell ill and I felt my whole
body really starting to go numb. After that, I don't remember
anything. I only remember [arriving] in the ambulance, asking my
father what happened, and him trying to explain it as best as he
could. It really was an unfortunate [circumstance]. I got sick and
to this day we still don't understand. I'm undergoing a battery of
tests here in [Las] Vegas. I had another on Monday and we're
waiting for a good result. The doctor hasn't released the results
yet and everything is being kept confidential. But I feel better
every day.â€
Barcelos (22-6) entered the bout on a five-fight winning streak. He
has competed in the UFC since 2018, compiling an 11-5 promotional
record with victories over Said
Nurmagomedov, Cody
Garbrandt and Payton
Talbott.
Raoni
Barcelos is still waiting for a diagnosis after his mysterious
health scare: “We don't know what happened. It was a sudden
illness. I fell ill, and I felt my whole body really starting to go
numb. After that, I don't remember anything.” (🎥 @guicruzzz)
https://t.co/dVJzTkkBkl
MMA Fighting has Brand Risk 16 results for the West vs. Beasley fight card and more from the Brand Risk Warehouse in Miami, Fla., on Friday night.
In the most notable fight, NBA veterans Delonte West and Michael Beasley clash in a heavyweight boxing fight.
Deshae Frost and YK Osiris is the new main event after Wendy Ortiz failed to clear medicals for the Florida State Athletic Commission to postpone her clash against Yera, according to a statement by Brand Risk.
The fight between King Azoulay and Supa Hot Fire was not approved by the commission as well.
Darren Till gets honest about his performance in win over Yoel Romero
Jasmine Jasudavicius is looking to cement herself as a title contender at UFC Edmonton.
Jasudavicius is set to take on Erin Blanchfield in the co-main event of UFC Edmonton. Jasudavicius enters the bout as a +255 underdog while the American is a -350 favorite on FanDuel. The fight was supposed to happen at UFC 330 in August, but an injury to Blanchfield delayed it to August. Although the Canadian was frustrated to have the fight postponed, she is ecstatic for it to be taking place in Edmonton now.
“That is exactly it. It was like two weeks out that I heard it was being moved,†Jasudavicius said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “Initially, I was so frustrated because I just put in a whole camp. I was ready, my weight was good, and I was firing on all cylinders. It got moved, and at least we are fighting in Canada now. This works out even better.â€
With extra time, Jasudavicius said she did take some time off to avoid burnout. But she also feels like the extra time will only help her, as she knows Blanchfield is one of the best in the world.
“She's talented; she's one of the top fighters in the world. I won't be talking too much shit. She's skilled, but I know how skilled I am, and I am ready to test myself against the best girls in the world,†Jasudavicius said.
Jasmine Jasudavicius hopeful to earn title shot at UFC Edmonton
Although Jasudavicius is an underdog, she has full confidence in her skillset. She believes she is better on the feet. So, she expects Blanchfield to try and wrestle her a ton, especially once she lands a couple of punches.
If Jasudavicius can turn Blanchfield into just a wrestler, she is confident she will be able to pull off the upset win at UFC Edmonton.
“I'm not too sure. I've watched all of her fights, and it's not like she's going to the wrestling right away; she is comfortable with striking. But I do think once she feels these hands, she will be shooting a little bit more. … My hand will be raised at the end of the night,†Jasudavicius said.
If Jasudavicius gets her hand raised, she believes it will cement her as a title contender at flyweight. And, it would set up a rematch with Natalia Silva, which the Canadian would be thrilled to get the chance to not only avenge her loss, but to take the belt off her.
“It would mean a lot; it's a big milestone,†Jasudavicius concluded. “Just getting into the UFC is a big deal; getting 10 fights in the UFC is a big deal; to get 10 wins is another feather in my cap. … That would be my dream. She gave me the lost which hurt, so if I can take the belt off her, it would fulfill me. I show well, say I finish Blanchfield, it would be me in the talks to get a title shot.â€
Do you think Jasmine Jasudavicius will beat Erin Blanchfield at UFC Edmonton?