Ian Machado Garry already thinking about first UFC title defence before winning belt

Ian Machado Garry has said he is “already thinking” about whom to defend the UFC welterweight title against – before even fighting for the belt. On 15 August, the Irishman will challenge champion Islam Makhachev, as the pair headline UFC 330 in Philadelphia. The bout marks Makhachev’s first defence of the belt, although he broke the record for most lightweight-title defences before moving up to welterweight in November. When it came time to challenge for the welterweight strap, Makhachev employed his wrestling skillset to dominate Jack Della Maddalena and win on points at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. The result was the Russian’s 16th win in a row since his sole professional loss, while Machado Garry also has a single defeat to his name. Speaking about his confidence, the Irishman told the High Performance podcast: “All of those things go through my mind, and it’s the same with this fight now, when I’m going in to fight the world champion; I’m already thinking about: ‘Who do I want to defend against?’ “I feel like you have to think about all of those things, so that when I get on the mic and someone puts a microphone in my face straight after – for the post-fight interview – I’m ready. “I’ve already dreamt, thought, understand what I want to do next. It’s just... it’s in me. It’s that competitive nature, that competitive spirit that I just thrive off.” Machado Garry, 28, went 8-0 in the UFC and 14-0 overall before suffering a points loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2024, in a battle of unbeaten fighters. That bout was seen as a No 1 contender’s fight, but Rakhmonov has not fought since, due to injury. Meanwhile, then-champion Belal Muhammad dropped the belt to Della Maddalena, who in turn lost it to Makhachev, 34. Machado Garry has bounced back from his defeat by Rakhmonov with two straight wins, outpointing Carlos Prates last April and Muhammad in November. Now, five years after his UFC debut, the “Future” will finally challenge for gold. “I know how good Islam Makhachev is,” Machado Garry said. “He’s a two-weight champion. He’s the most-successful lightweight champion of all time and had the most lightweight defences of all time. He is the current welterweight champion of the world. “When I beat him, it is undeniable that I am great. I wanted to prove I was one of the best in the world, and I have to do that by beating some of the best in the world.” Makhachev is the UFC’s pound-for-pound No 1 fighter, per the promotion itself – as well as the Independent. The Dagestani trained alongside UFC great Khabib Nurmagomedov from a young age, and the latter now helps to coach Makhachev.