Ian Machado Garry lambasted Islam Makhachev hours before their welterweight title fight was officially announced as the UFC 330 headliner. <\/p>\n
Ian Machado Garry took another jibe at ex-UFC lightweight titlist and reigning UFC<\/a> welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev<\/a>. The No. 1-ranked 170-pound contender seemingly alleged that Makhachev was avoiding a fight against him.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Islam Makhachev recently expressed interest in facing Michael Morales rather than Ian Machado Garry<\/p>\n The MMA community had lately been abuzz with speculation that Islam Makhachev would likely defend his welterweight belt against Ian Machado Garry at the\u00a0UFC 330<\/a> event in Philadelphia on August 15.\u00a0<\/p>\n Makhachev himself hinted<\/a> that his next fight would transpire in August. Also, the No. 2-ranked welterweight Carlos Prates recently claimed<\/a> that the UFC is going to have Makhachev fight Garry, after which he’ll receive his title shot against the Makhachev-Garry winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n Well, the UFC has now officially announced that Makhachev will defend his welterweight belt against Garry in the main event of UFC 330.\u00a0<\/p>\n FLYING INTO PHILLY WITH TWO TITLE FIGHTS \ud83e\udd85@MAKHACHEVMMA<\/a> vs @IanGarryMMA<\/a>@MackenzieDern<\/a> vs @Savage_UFC<\/a><\/p>\n [ #UFC330<\/a> is LIVE AUGUST 15 on @ParamountPlus<\/a> ] pic.twitter.com\/9TwK13Z954<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UFC (@ufc) June 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Makhachev stated, “If we pick between Ian and Morales in terms of my legacy, I would go with Morales because he’s still undefeated.”\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Islam Makhachev says facing the undefeated Michael Morales would do more for his legacy than fighting Ian Garry. \ud83d\ude32\ud83d\udcaf<\/p>\n “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\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/POLje3bGMS<\/a><\/p>\n