Islam Makhachev will put his UFC title on the line against Ian Machado Garry in Saturday’s UFC 330 main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Makhachev enters the fight riding a 16-fight win streak, and he’s the promotion’s pound-for-pound king. But Garry, an undefeated force in his own right with a 10-fight UFC winning streak, insists he’s ready to shock the world.
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, however, sees this as a one-sided affair. He told Jackpot City Casino that Makhachev will not deviate from his game plan. “I know Islam Makhachev is going to stay with the game plan,” Woodley said. “He’s not worried about proving anything like, ‘I can strike too.’ He’s going to take the path of least resistance.” Woodley believes Makhachev will lean on his wrestling, a skill he’s honed for a lifetime. “He’s going to do what’s going to secure him the victory to continue to remain with his record intact,” Woodley added. “He’s going to wrestle him.”
The path is clear for Makhachev, who has looked unstoppable at both lightweight and welterweight. In his title-winning performance at UFC 322, he took Jack Della Maddalena down four times and controlled him for nearly 20 minutes. That kind of dominance is exactly what Woodley expects Saturday night. “Ian Garry, most likely, is not going to be able to build skills in three months that are going to be enough to stop something Islam has been doing his whole life,” Woodley said. “He’s smart enough not to let the ego get in play and take away his ability to get this win.”
Retired UFC welterweight Matt Brown shares Woodley’s assessment, though he’s more complimentary of Garry. “He is an extremely skilled guy,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I’ve given him praises for a long time. I think he’s got championship material in him. I don’t doubt that he can make this a good fight. He’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Brown points out that Garry, an elite striker, lacks one crucial weapon: true knockout power. That means the Irishman would likely need to outpoint Makhachev over 25 minutes. “It’s not like it couldn’t happen,” Brown said. “We still get these matchups from 1990 all the time: Striker versus grappler.” Yet the odds are stacked against Garry.
Brown notes that while Makhachev isn’t known for his striking, he can handle himself on the feet. “Islam might be able to make some mistakes on the feet,” Brown explained. “Let’s say Ian is able to keep it on the feet, Islam can still make mistakes theoretically, he can go a little bit further to get the takedown because he’s not at risk.” But the real danger comes on the ground. “If Ian makes one mistake on the ground, that’s probably going to be it,” Brown said. “You can’t do silly things on the ground with Islam Makhachev. Charles Oliveira found that out.”
For Garry to win, Brown says he’d need a flawless performance. “Islam can make some mistakes, but Ian really can’t,” Brown said. “Because Islam will capitalize on those mistakes. He has to fight the perfect fight. Islam doesn’t really have to fight the perfect fight. He’s just got to fight his fight.” The challenge is immense, but Garry has never backed down from a moment. He’s an outspoken Irishman who has been calling for this opportunity. And in a sport where anything can happen, Saturday night could still deliver a stunning upset.
