Islam Makhachev Respects Ian Machado Garry, But One Thing During Their Fight Really Bothered Him

The Dagestani rarely expresses his true feelings before a fight, but Garry kept making his presence felt throughout, constantly shaking Makhachev’s hand, hugging him, or dapping him up, something the usually stoic Dagestani clearly wasn’t a fan of.

Islam Makhachev Reveals What He Didn’t Like About Ian Garry

Handshakes and hugs were one thing, but what Ian Garry did next was give Islam Makhachev a word of encouragement in the middle of the fight. While the Dagestani was thankful for whatever Garry had to say, he believed Garry should have saved it until the end of the fight.

“Honestly, I don’t understand,” Makhachev said about Garry’s actions during the UFC 330 post-fight press conference. “This is a fight. This is not something we have to hug each other every round. We’re going to war. We’re going to break the face, to break the eye. I respect all my opponents. But . He respects too much.”

‘The Future’ tends to over-respect his opponents between fights, and he has done the same in his other fights as well. He will sell the show pretty well, but when it comes to fighting, he makes sure to show his opponents respect, which is certainly a good thing. However, Makhachev was not a big fan of it.

“I respect him. He’s a good guy. Very kind. But this is a war. Look at my face. I just come to beat everything. It’s not something you have to play. This is a fight. This is not a game,” said Makhachev. 

Despite the defeat, Garry did a commendable job making sure Makhachev looked like a human again. 

‘The Future’ consistently stuffed Makhachev’s takedowns and escaped back to his feet. The champion did find some room to put him in a D’Arce choke, but Garry, as he had throughout the fight, refused to back down and escaped that attempt as well.

Makhachev finally took control in the final round, securing Garry’s back and locking in a body triangle. However, it was already too late to find a finish, and he ultimately won the fight by unanimous decision.

That said, it’s not only Makhachev who criticised Ian Garry for his actions; Dana White didn’t like what he saw either.

Islam Makhachev Defeated Ian Garry Due to His Lack of Killer Instincts

Not only Makhachev, but Dana White also believes that too much camaraderie during fights is not a good sign for a fighter or the business.

“I felt like I think that Ian is a talented guy,” White said at the UFC 330 post-fight press conference. “If he had even an ounce of killer instinct in that fifth round, he had been beating him to the body.”

He further added, “Islam’s whole right side was beat up, his face was beat up. You don’t come out and hug and shake hands in the fifth round. That shit drives me f*cking crazy.”

With just five minutes left on the clock, Garry opened the final round by exchanging handshakes and hugs instead of chasing the belt, which was why Dana White was so upset with him.

As both his opponent and his boss state that Garry needs to adjust his mentality, will he do it? Time will tell.