Ian Machado Garry will challenge UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 330, which goes down on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia, and vows to “be the guy that stopped history from happening.”
Garry earned the shot at the 170-pound belt after back-to-back wins over ex-champion Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates in 2025, boosting his octagon record to 10-1, and has made bold promises even though he knows Makhachev is a tough opponent to beat.
“I don’t think Islam has a lot of weaknesses,” Garry said on a video posted on his social media. “He’s never fought someone as long and tall as me. He’s not fought someone as fast as me. He’s not fought someone who has the distance management, the boxing capabilities, the head movement that I do, but also the takedown defense.”
Makhachev is currently riding a 16-fight winning streak, tied with legendary middleweight champion Anderson Silva as the longest winning streak in UFC history. Makhachev got there by beating the likes of Jack Della Maddalena, Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (twice) and Charles Oliveira in title bouts across two divisions.
Garry, a teammate of Oliveira in Brazil whose sole loss as a professional MMA fighter came in a short-notice decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov in 2024, said he welcomes a fight where Makhachev shines best.
“He might get me down,” Garry said. “I hope he does. Because I want to prove to the world that he can’t submit me. I want to prove to the world that I can get back up. I want to prove to the world that I can beat him in his own world. I don’t care how long he’s trained in that area. I don’t care if he’s an internationally recognized master of Sambo or not.
“I’m going to bounce him on his skull. I’m going to take his title. I’m going to take his throne. And I’m going to finish that consecutive win streak. And I’ll always be the guy that stopped history from happening.”
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