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.

UFC light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev is still interested in hunting down a future third fight against Alex Pereira.

This weekend, Magomed Ankalaev will attempt to get back on the winning trail when he goes head to head with Bogdan Guskov. While Guskov is certainly a dangerous opponent for him to face, the former champion will definitely be the overwhelming favorite.

RELATED: Magomed Ankalaev calls Bogdan Guskov a ‘tuneup' fight at UFC Abu Dhabi: ‘This is just a fight to be back'

In his last outing, however, Ankalaev was left stunned after being beaten by Alex Pereira in their UFC 320 rematch. Ever since then, he has been rebuilding as he tries to pursue and hold the UFC light heavyweight championship for a second time.

In a recent interview, Ankalaev made it crystal clear that his goal is to have a third fight with Poatan.

Magomed Ankalaev says he still wants a trilogy fight with Alex Pereira, believing it remains one of the biggest fights the UFC can make regardless of whether it happens at light heavyweight or heavyweight.

“I want that fight, and I'll be chasing it,†Ankalaev told Red Corner… pic.twitter.com/M9kWU92Opb

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 21, 2026

Ankalaev wants third Pereira fight

“I will be chasing that fight,†Ankalaev told Red Corner MMA in a translated interview, “no matter if it takes place at heavyweight or light heavyweight. Although he moved up, so I'm not just focusing on him as I have some business to finish in the light heavyweight division.

“But at the end of the day, as long as he's not retired, I'm sure the UFC would be interested. We are 1-1. I won the first fight, and it's fair to say it was domination. I lost the second one, but it was just an accident. So, I think the third fight should be very exciting for the fans. Time will tell.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Given that Pereira is up at heavyweight right now, it's not clear as to what exactly the path would be to making this fight happen, so we will have to wait and see how it all plays out.

Do you believe we will see Ankalaev get his third fight against Pereira at some point? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!