Makhachev reveals Garry’s game plan ahead of UFC 330

Islam Makhachev says he has prepared his entire camp for Ian Garry’s movement-heavy style and believes he already knows exactly how the Irish contender will approach the fight.

Islam Makhachev believes he already knows Ian Machado Garry’s game plan for the upcoming title fight.

The current welterweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his welterweight title for the first time on August 15 against Ian Machado Garry. Islam Makhachev needed special preparation for this fight, as there aren’t many fighters as tall as Ian Machado Garry. However, Islam Makhachev mentions that his entire training camp was specifically geared toward this, and he feels well-prepared.

Naturally, this involved Islam Makhachev thoroughly analyzing his opponent’s fighting style, and in doing so, he apparently noticed something important. According to him, he definitely needs to prepare to constantly chase Ian Machado Garry, since the latter typically fights while moving backward.

“I just have to run in this camp too much because I have to follow him, he runs too much. I know his game plan. We always see his fights. He has the same style always. I will try to catch him, take him down, just what I did with my old opponents.”

Islam Makhachev told MMA Fighting.

Ian Machado Garry, on the other hand, has been training with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who fought Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title back in 2022. However, Islam Makhachev is convinced that his former opponent won’t be much help to him, since he defeated him relatively easily back then.

“Charles is going to teach him how to tap fast. That's it”

he said.

Islam Makhachev is heading into the fight with his usual confidence. It remains to be seen whether his preparation for this unusual fight will ultimately pay off.

In my opinion, Islam Makhachev sounds very confident, but I think Ian Machado Garry’s agility could pose bigger problems for him than he might think. On the other hand, Islam Makhachev has, of course, proven many times that he can rise to such challenges and come out on top in the end. What do you think?