Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry have kicked off a heated online back-and-forth over Makhachev’s first UFC welterweight title defense.
Garry took to Instagram to question why Makhachev has yet to book a defense since winning the belt from Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 this past November. Garry, who defeated former champion Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar to move to 10-1 in the UFC, pushed back on the champion’s timeline.
“First you say you have a hand injury,” Garry wrote, later adding, “Dana [White] said August, you’re saying July - I’ve been ready since you last turned me down in May. We’re all waiting on you, princess.”
Makhachev answered on Twitter, dismissing concerns about his health and insisting he’s ready to go. “Don’t worry about my injuries. I’m ready at any time. I’m waiting for the contract.” He has also posted that he is “ready at any time.”
UFC CEO Dana White previously attributed Makhachev’s absence to a hand injury, without giving a timetable for his return. Makhachev, the former lightweight champion who defended that title a UFC-record four times and now sits atop MMA Fighting’s pound-for-pound rankings, is awaiting his first welterweight title challenger, with Garry among the contenders making their case.
