Belal Muhammad has weighed in on Islam Makhachev’s upcoming title defense against Ian Machado Garry, set to headline UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Makhachev enters the bout with a 28-1 MMA record and 17-1 mark in the UFC, tied with Anderson Silva for the longest consecutive winning streak in company history at 16. Garry brings a 17-1 MMA record and 10-1 UFC slate into his first shot at the belt.
Muhammad, who previously lost a unanimous decision to Garry in November and went 0-for-7 on takedown attempts in that fight, expressed awe at Makhachev’s run. "It's so crazy," Muhammad said. "It's so easy to lose in this sport. Anything can happen. You can literally walk and slip and catch something, or walk into something. What he's doing is wild, and also to do it at two weight classes is even bigger. I don't think that people are understanding how hard it is to put that big of a streak on and get a double digit streak in the UFC. It's one of the craziest things, and you're fighting the best guys in the world every single time. That's going to put him on Mt. Rushmore."
"At what point do you say he belongs up there? They're not mentioning his name," Muhammad added, while also warning against overlooking Garry. "I just think a lot of people are underestimating Ian," he said. "He's very smart with the way he fights and strategizes and game plans. But obviously Islam is pound-for-pound, but I definitely think Ian is a live dog."
