UFC confirms Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry as the Irish MMA star lambasts his Dagestani rival before UFC 330
Ian Machado Garry lambasted Islam Makhachev hours before their welterweight title fight was officially announced as the UFC 330 headliner.
Ian Machado Garry took another jibe at ex-UFC lightweight titlist and reigning UFC welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev. The No. 1-ranked 170-pound contender seemingly alleged that Makhachev was avoiding a fight against him.
Garry, who's long been beheld as a possible future champion, suffered his first MMA defeat on the scorecards at the hands of the unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov in 2024. "The Future" has since bounced back with a pair of unanimous decision wins, outpointing Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad.
Islam Makhachev recently expressed interest in facing Michael Morales rather than Ian Machado Garry
The MMA community had lately been abuzz with speculation that Islam Makhachev would likely defend his welterweight belt against Ian Machado Garry at the UFC 330 event in Philadelphia on August 15.
Makhachev himself hinted that his next fight would transpire in August. Also, the No. 2-ranked welterweight Carlos Prates recently claimed that the UFC is going to have Makhachev fight Garry, after which he'll receive his title shot against the Makhachev-Garry winner.
Well, the UFC has now officially announced that Makhachev will defend his welterweight belt against Garry in the main event of UFC 330.
FLYING INTO PHILLY WITH TWO TITLE FIGHTS 🦅@MAKHACHEVMMA vs @IanGarryMMA@MackenzieDern vs @Savage_UFC
— UFC (@ufc) June 17, 2026
[ #UFC330 is LIVE AUGUST 15 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/9TwK13Z954
Moreover, per Red Corner MMA, Makhachev recently affirmed that he'd prefer defending his title against the unbeaten Ecuadorian fighter Michael Morales rather than Ian Machado Garry.
The Dagestani MMA star suggested that if he faces and beats Garry, it wouldn't mean as much to his legacy because some would point out that Shavkat Rakhmonov already beat the Irishman.
Makhachev stated, "If we pick between Ian and Morales in terms of my legacy, I would go with Morales because he's still undefeated."
Islam Makhachev says facing the undefeated Michael Morales would do more for his legacy than fighting Ian Garry. 😲💯
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 12, 2026
"If we pick between Ian and Morales in terms of my legacy, I would go with Morales because he's still undefeated. If I beat Ian Garry, some will say, 'Shavkat… pic.twitter.com/POLje3bGMS
Ian Machado Garry criticizes Islam Makhachev, indicates that the UFC welterweight champion is avoiding a fight with him
Taking to his official Instagram handle, Ian Machado Garry put forth a video a few hours back. He appeared to be engaged in a grappling sequence against a wall.
Upon being told about Islam Makhachev's recent remarks regarding how he'd prefer to fight Michael Morales instead of Garry, the latter said:
"Of course, he (Islam Makhachev) would. Of course, he'd rather fight Morales. Because Morales hasn't beaten anyone in the sport. He said he'd rather fight Kamaru Usman. Kamaru Usman has won two fights in the last 10 he's had."
Garry continued, "He said he'd rather fight Prates, the man who I beat. He'd rather fight anybody except me."
Watch Ian Machado Garry sound off on Islam Makhachev in the video below:
