Ian Machado Garry vows to be a better UFC welterweight champion than Islam Makhachev.
Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) challenges Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) for the 170-pound ***** le in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia (Paramount+). Machado Garry was frustrated with how long his ***** le fight took to materialize after Makhachev claimed the welterweight belt at UFC 322 this past November.
"It's a fact, in my opinion, that when I'm the champion of the world, the welterweight division is better off," Machado Garry said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "Firstly, Islam only fights once a year. So his next defense might be in July 2027. But the matchups, the stylistic matchups, they're very different. You have on the cards a potential match with Carlos Prates that would be massive. You've got on the cards a potential, arguably the biggest fight you can make in the sport at a certain point, is a potential rematch with me and Shavkat Rakhmonov whenever he's able to come back – if he ever comes back.
"You have a potential matchup with me and Michael Morales, Gabriel Bonfim. You have Sean Brady in the mix, you have (Uros) Medic coming up. The welterweight division is the greatest it's ever been, and it's the most stacked it's ever been. It's the best division in this sport right now. There's no arguments about that, from top to bottom the best division. When I'm the champion of the world, there's going to be more activity. There's going to be more high-level fights. The fans, everybody, I'm promising you now, it's the best thing for the sport."
Machado Garry respects former two-division champion Makhachev's accolades, which is why he thinks beating him makes him undeniable.
Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) challenges Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) for the 170-pound ***** le in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia (Paramount+). Machado Garry was frustrated with how long his ***** le fight took to materialize after Makhachev claimed the welterweight belt at UFC 322 this past November.
"It's a fact, in my opinion, that when I'm the champion of the world, the welterweight division is better off," Machado Garry said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "Firstly, Islam only fights once a year. So his next defense might be in July 2027. But the matchups, the stylistic matchups, they're very different. You have on the cards a potential match with Carlos Prates that would be massive. You've got on the cards a potential, arguably the biggest fight you can make in the sport at a certain point, is a potential rematch with me and Shavkat Rakhmonov whenever he's able to come back – if he ever comes back.
"You have a potential matchup with me and Michael Morales, Gabriel Bonfim. You have Sean Brady in the mix, you have (Uros) Medic coming up. The welterweight division is the greatest it's ever been, and it's the most stacked it's ever been. It's the best division in this sport right now. There's no arguments about that, from top to bottom the best division. When I'm the champion of the world, there's going to be more activity. There's going to be more high-level fights. The fans, everybody, I'm promising you now, it's the best thing for the sport."
Machado Garry respects former two-division champion Makhachev's accolades, which is why he thinks beating him makes him undeniable.
1 month ago
