Ian
Garry believes defeating
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Islam
Makhachev at UFC
330 would make his greatness “undeniable.”

The Irish welterweight challenges Makhachev for the 170-pound title
in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in
Philadelphia. Considering the Dagestani champion's accolades,
taking the title off him is a monumental feat, according to
Garry.

Ian Garry views UFC 330 clash with Islam Makhachev as a
career-defining fight

Ahead of their fight, Garry acknowledged the magnitude of the
challenge, calling Makhachev the best fighter in mixed martial arts
today.

“I know how good Islam Makhachev is,†Garry told High Performance.
“I know how talented he is. He's 29-1 in the sport. He's a
two-weight division champion. He's the most successful lightweight
champion of all time and had the most lightweight defenses of all
time. He is the current welterweight champion of the world. He came
up a division and won the title. He is tied for the longest active
win streak in UFC history, and if he wins his next fight against
me, he will break the record for the longest consecutive wins.â€

Despite his appreciation for Makhachev’s accomplishments and
skills, Garry remains confident that his own arsenal is enough to
dethrone the champion. “The Future” claims a victory over Makhachev
would remove any remaining questions about his standing in the
sport.

“When I beat him, there can be no doubt. When I beat him, it is
undeniable that I am great,†he added.

Ian
Garry’s recent comments comparing himself to Conor
McGregor haven't gone over well with Islam
Makhachev’s camp.

After “The Future” compared his upcoming fight in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship against Makhachev to McGregor’s
iconic featherweight championship victory over Jose Aldo,
Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, responded with a series of
sharp posts on social media.

Ali Abdelaziz addresses Ian Garry's McGregor comparison ahead
of UFC 330

Garry recently claimed that defeating Makhachev at UFC
330 would elevate him to the top of the sport, comparing the
opportunity to McGregor’s featherweight title win over Aldo in
2015.

Abdelaziz, however, dismissed those comparisons and questioned the
Irishman’s accomplishments inside the Octagon.

“I’ve been listening to Islam’s opponent talking,†Abdelaziz wrote
on X. “Here are the facts: He’s 2-1 in his last three fights. He
was almost knocked out by Prates and got saved by the bell. He has
10 wins in the UFC, and eight of them came by decision. Somebody
needs to give this young man a reality check, because he’s about to
get smashed.â€

Abdelaziz followed with another post highlighting Makhachev’s
accolades.

“Islam Makhachev’s last 10 fights? Eight of them ended in
finishes,†the manager posted. “Three of those wins came against
world champions. The rest were against top-five and Top-15
contenders. That’s the reality. You only got this fight because you
know how to talk. On Aug. 14, the talking stops. Then we’ll see
what’s real.â€

Abdelaziz also rejected Garry’s comparisons to McGregor.

“And he keeps bringing his name up, comparing himself to Conor,†he
added. “First of all, you're not Conor. You'll never be Conor. You
might actually be a better person than him, because I think Conor
has done a lot of things I don't respect. Just be who you are.
Don't try to be somebody else.â€

Makhachev is scheduled to defend his welterweight title against
Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena
in Philadelphia. A win for the Russian not only marks his first
title defense at 170 pounds but would also see him break Anderson
Silva's record for longest win streak in UFC history.

Series of tweets from Ali Abdelaziz on Ian Machado Garry
by u/DavidSeries in
MMA

Paddy
Pimblett has taken his rivalry with Ilia
Topuria in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship to a new level.

Pimblett (24-4) recently claimed to have bought the stool that
Topuria (17-1) used in his corner during his loss to Justin
Gaethje at
UFC Freedom 250.

Paddy Pimblett turns his Ilia Topuria rivalry into a
headline-making UFC moment

The stool holds significant meaning given what happened in the
fight. Topuria was a massive favorite when he put his lightweight
title on the line against interim champion Gaethje at the White
House. “El Matador” had even celebrated the day before the fight,
as he's done ahead of previous bouts as well.

However, Gaethje put on a brutal beatdown on Topuria in the third
and fourth rounds, forcing his corner to stop the bout at the end
of the penultimate frame. While it is unlikely that Topuria wanted
the fight to end in a corner stoppage, Pimblett repeatedly claimed
that the Georgian-Spaniard quit on the stool.

Pimblett now claims to have acquired said stool, as he revealed on
Instagram with a post captioned, “Collector's item.â€

Notably, Pimblett went all five rounds with Gaethje earlier this
year, and while he lost on the judges’ scorecards, many commended
his effort and fighting spirit.

Pimblett’s long-standing rivalry with Topuria was sparked by the
Englishman's comments about the former champ's home country of
Georgia. Pimblett even threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria
during a run-in at a fighter hotel in London in 2022.

However, a Topuria fan has now taken to social media to reveal that
she was the one who purchased the stool, refuting Pimblett’s
claim.

Paddy Pimblett did NOT actually buy Ilia
Topuria's UFC White House corner stool…

The real buyer has now come forward and called out Paddy for lying
👀

(via mma_dbm/IG) https://t.co/Q3he34KYRU pic.twitter.com/xN5xSNDzQb

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
July 21, 2026