Ian Machado Garry has laid bare his biggest concern ahead of facing Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 330 on August 15th.
Garry will meet Makhachev after the champion took the 170-pound belt from Jack Della Maddalena in November 2025, a fight where Makhachev kept Della Maddalena on the ground for 25 minutes. Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Garry admitted that scenario is on his mind.
“Being held down for twenty five minutes and just having a boring fight,” Garry said, calling that “the worst case scenario” after noting, “And he did that. He did exactly that to win the world title fight.”
Garry acknowledged the challenge in front of him, saying, “He’s a phenomenal wrestler, a phenomenal grappler. And if you allow him the ability to stay on top and utilize his grappling and his wrestling, he can suffocate you and just lie on you like a weighted blanket, and you just find it so hard to move.”
At the same time, Garry stressed his focus on performance over fear of defeat. “Like, just focus on winning,” he said. “If I go out there and fight, and he out-skilled me, and he’s better than me, but I fought him as hard as I could? I can leave that octagon proud that I did everything I possibly could to win that fight.”
Despite outlining his worries, Garry’s confidence remains intact: “It’s not gonna happen. Because I’m too good. I’m just too good.”
