As far as one top MMA coach is concerned, Islam Makhachev\u2019s first UFC welterweight title defense should be against Ian Machado Garry.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Garry\u2019s coach Diego Lima is aware that Makhachev\u2019s team prefers a clash with Kamaru Usman, but he thinks it\u2019s time to snap back to reality. Lima told MMAFighting.com<\/a> that Garry is the only logical choice to challenge Makhachev for the welterweight prize.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s be rational,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe division today is one of the toughest in the UFC. This division is truly impressive. It\u2019s a division where it\u2019s hard to pick a favorite in almost every fight. \u2026 But I believe that, without a doubt, the fight to make for the title is Ian Garry. For everything. For what he\u2019s shown, who he\u2019s faced, how he\u2019s faced them, the short notice on which he accepted fights, the intelligence he\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n