Connect with us

MMA

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

Published

2 months ago

on

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€

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Luke Riley predicts first-round KO of undefeated Tommy McMillen

Published

18 minutes ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

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.

Continue Reading

MMA

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

Published

1 hour ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

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€

Continue Reading

MMA

Magomed Zaynukov shuts down UFC Qatar fight rumors, out until 2027

Published

2 hours ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

Magomed Zaynukov shuts down UFC Qatar fight rumors, out until 2027
Magomed
Zaynukov has ruled out a return in 2026.

Zaynukov underwent surgery earlier this year for a lingering hand
injury. “Wild Chanco†is now recovering and has resumed training.
Recent rumors have linked a matchup Zaynukov and Manoel
Sousa for UFC Qatar
in November. However, he recently took to social media to shut down
the rumors.

Magomed Zaynukov says he never signed to fight Manoel Sousa at
UFC Qatar

The Dagestani lightweight also revealed that he won't be fighting
for the rest of the year, as he continues to recover from
surgery.

“I didn't sign any contract for this fight,†Zaynukov wrote on his
Instagram Stories. “I won't be fighting this year due to surgery.
I'm currently undergoing rehabilitation and recovery.â€

Zaynukov (9-0) amassed a substantial fan following as Islam
Makhachev's teammate even before joining the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. The undefeated 31-year-old made
his Octagon debut this past July, scoring a unanimous decision win
over Damian
Rzepecki after earning a contract on
Dana White's Contender Series.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending