Ian Machado Garry Receives Major Endorsement From Islam Makhachev

May 31, 2026
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Ian Garry Questions Islam Makhachev’s Injury Claim, Suggests Champion Is Avoiding a Fight
Ian Garry and Islam Makhachev (Photo by Imagn)

Islam Makhachev isn’t wasting any time. The welterweight champion has laid out his plans clearly. As per him, his fight camp starts immediately, and he wants to return in August. The Dagestani fighter said the man standing at the front of the line is Ian ‘Machado’ Garry. It’s a significant endorsement from the man who holds the belt.

Makhachev acknowledged there are plenty of contenders making noise at 170 pounds right now. Carlos Prates has been on a tear, knocking off Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena back to back. On the other hand, Michael Morales remains undefeated. The division is loaded with fighters who believe they deserve the next shot. But in Makhachev’s eyes, the conversation starts and ends with Garry.

“Right after here, I’m going to camp and I don’t know, August. I will be ready.  A lot of contenders, but number 1 is Ian Garry. And we still have a couple more who want to take the belt,” Makhachev said.

For Garry, it’s the moment his entire welterweight run has been building toward. He’s been knocking on this door for a while, picking up wins and positioning himself as the inevitable next challenger. Now the champion himself has confirmed what Garry already believed. The welterweight division just got a lot more interesting.

Ilia Topuria Backs Ian ‘Machado’ Garry To Dethrone Islam Makhachev

The skeptics have been lining up to dismiss Garry’s chances against Makhachev. However, Topuria isn’t standing with them. The lightweight champ’s argument wasn’t built on blind faith either. He pointed to Garry’s UFC run as evidence of a fighter who has been collecting experience and sharpening himself against elite competition over time.

“It’s the fight business everyone has chances, especially for someone like Ian Garry. He’s been able to collect a lot of experience in his UFC run, and I see him with a lot of chances. We’ve already seen Islam get knocked out before, so why not for a second time,” Topuria said.

Makhachev arriving at welterweight as a two-division champion has naturally shrunk the list of fighters people genuinely believe can beat him. But Topuria is reminding everyone of something important: Makhachev is not undefeated. It happened once, and Garry will be betting everything on making it happen again.



Ian Machado Garry Receives Major Endorsement From Islam Makhachev
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