As far as one top MMA coach is concerned, Islam Makhachev’s first UFC welterweight title defense should be against Ian Machado Garry.
The 170-pound weight class is stacked with talent. The likes of Garry and Michael Morales have emerged as top contenders. Carlos Prates has also been making waves and he nearly scored a comeback victory against Garry, leading to the two of them becoming friends.
Garry’s coach Diego Lima is aware that Makhachev’s team prefers a clash with Kamaru Usman, but he thinks it’s time to snap back to reality. Lima told MMAFighting.com that Garry is the only logical choice to challenge Makhachev for the welterweight prize.
“Let’s be rational,” he continued. “The division today is one of the toughest in the UFC. This division is truly impressive. It’s a division where it’s hard to pick a favorite in almost every fight. … But I believe that, without a doubt, the fight to make for the title is Ian Garry. For everything. For what he’s shown, who he’s faced, how he’s faced them, the short notice on which he accepted fights, the intelligence he’s demonstrated, and the fact he sells. He sells a lot. I believe he has all the characteristics and requirements to face Islam Makhachev for the welterweight 170 title.”
Garry has just one loss in his pro MMA career, and that was against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. Since that fight, Garry has gone 2-0 with the aforementioned win over Prates and a unanimous decision victory over former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad.
Makhachev captured the UFC Welterweight Championship by dominating Jack Della Maddalena for five rounds. The grappling of Makhachev was on display the entire fight, and all Maddalena could do was survive for 25 minutes.
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