Ian Machado Garry may well be next in line to challenge Islam Makhachev based on the changes to the UFC rankings in the aftermath of UFC Qatar.
The UFC closed out a seven-week stretch of consecutive events last Saturday when the promotion held its first event in Doha, Qatar. In the card’s headlining bout, Arman Tsarukyan solidified his status as the lightweight division’s #1 contender when he submitted Dan Hooker in the second round.
There were a few other results at UFC Qatar with significant implications for their respective UFC divisions, most notably the co-main event that saw Machado Garry take a unanimous decision over former welterweight titleholder Belal Muhammad.
Is Ian Machado Garry Next For Islam Makhachev?
Entering UFC Qatar as the welterweight division’s #6-ranked contender, Machado Garry has now climbed to #2 in the latest rankings update and only sits behind the recently-dethroned Jack Della Maddalena.
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“The Future” was favored to secure his second win in a row over Muhammad at UFC Qatar, but there was also an expectation that the 28-year-old would need to put on an especially impressive performance to secure a title shot after Michael Morales and Carlos Prates both scored highlight-reel knockouts on the main card of UFC 322.
Ian Machado Garry (red gloves) prepares to fight Carlos Prates (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images
Morales and Prates now sit at #4 and #6 in the welterweight rankings following UFC Qatar. Machado Garry also notably moved one spot ahead of his former opponent Shavkat Rakhmonov, who hasn’t competed since the Irishman took him to the judges’ scorecards for the first time at UFC 310 nearly a year ago.
Kyoji Horiguchi Returns To UFC Rankings, Waldo Cortes-Acosta Cracks Top 5
UFC Qatar also featured the highly-anticipated return of former flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi, who submitted Tagir Ulanbekov in his first Octagon appearance since 2016.
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Following an incredibly successful post-UFC run that saw him win titles with both RIZIN and Bellator MMA, Horiguchi returns to the UFC flyweight rankings at #8. Ulanbekov fell one place to #12, while Asu Almabayev also moved up to #7 at 125 lbs. after UFC Qatar with a win over Alex Perez and sent Perez down four spots to #11.
Kyoji Horiguchi celebrates after his win over Darrion Caldwell (not pictured) during Bellator 222 at Madison Square Garden. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
The other notable bout between ranked fighters at UFC Qatar was a heavyweight matchup between Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Shamil Gaziev, which saw “Salsa” boy step in on extremely short notice to score his second knockout of the month and move up one spot to #5 in the heavyweight rankings.
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