Islam Makhachev Was Given Bizarre Explanation Ahead of His Final Round in UFC 330

Islam Makhachev was predicted to have a hard time fighting Ian Garry, and while Garry did pose some problems, the bout was more or less a dominant experience for the Dagestani. Controlling the fight right from the start, Makhachev cruised to victory. Surprisingly, his coach decided to give him a bizarre motivation ahead of the last round. 

Javier Mendez Told Islam Makhachev The Fight was Level

Going into the fifth round, it was already evident that Makhachev was leading 3-1. While Garry did show some sparks, the Dagestani’s elite wrestling made life extremely difficult for the Irishman inside the octagon. By the time the last round approached, the blueprint to victory for Garry was clear: He would have to try and knock Makhachev out cold. 

Surprisingly, both Javier Mendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov chose to tell Makhachev that the bout was level at 2-2. This was done to provide extra motivation to Makhachev. In a statement to MMA Fighting, Mendez said, “For me, I always plan for a five-round, grueling war that I feel we're going to win every round. In this particular case, it was no different. The only difference was we didn't win every round. We definitely didn't win the third, and the fourth round was very questionable whether we did or didn't . So Khabib and I assumed, let's go the best route and let's just say it's 2-2. Going into the fifth round, we said we need this round. We need this round."

Surely, the ploy worked as the UFC welterweight champion dominated the last round and secured an impressive victory. 

How did Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Garry Pan Out?

Initially, Garry tried to make the move. Attempting to push Islam Makhachev back, the Irishman encountered Makhachev’s sublime wrestling. Now, while the 28-year-old did an amazing job with his takedown defense, he still could not break out of Makhachev’s hold. Overall, the Dagestani had more than 12 minutes of control time. 

On the contrary, Garry did land some vicious body and leg kicks. At one point, he also delivered some brutal knuckles that opened up Islam’s face. But in the end, the champion prevailed, defending his welterweight belt successfully.