Fighting Nerds coach backs Ian Garry to pose biggest-ever challenge to Islam Makhachev

Pablo Sucupira, head coach of The Fighting Nerds, believes Ian Garry has the physical and technical tools to hand Islam Makhachev the toughest fight of his career — and that a Garry title win could set up a blockbuster rematch against stablemate Carlos Prates in Brazil.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on Monday, Sucupira pushed back on comments Prates made last week on Daniel Cormier’s Pound 4 Pound podcast, where the Brazilian welterweight said he would target Michael Morales if the UFC required one more fight before a title shot. Sucupira argued his fighter does not need to be so patient, but reserved his sharpest analysis for the Garry-Makhachev matchup itself.

“One thing people don’t realize is that there’s a big physical disparity in this division,” Sucupira said. “There are fighters at 170 pounds who could fight at 155 pounds, but there are others who could fight at 185 pounds. Maddalena, for example, isn’t a big 170 pounds, while Garry is very big. Prates, who looked big in front of JDM, looked small in front of Garry. Garry is much bigger than Islam.”

Beyond size, Sucupira identified Garry’s technical style as a genuine problem for the champion. “Unlike Maddalena, Garry doesn’t load up on his strikes. He uses his lead hand very well to control distance and angles a lot,” he said. “It’s not easy to take him down and keep him on the bottom. In my opinion, he has the right game to beat Makhachev.”

The coach was careful not to dismiss the reigning lightweight and welterweight champion outright. “He’s not No. 1 pound-for-pound by chance,” Sucupira said of Makhachev. “But this fight will be the biggest challenge of his career and will show how phenomenal Islam really is.”

Sucupira also acknowledged that personal investment may be colouring his read on the matchup. “Without a doubt, Prates and Garry would be a much more interesting fight for the fans,” he said. “And the two agreed to have this rematch for the belt in Brazil. Imagine how amazing it would be.”

Garry is widely expected to receive the next UFC welterweight title shot, with Makhachev having moved up from lightweight to claim the 170-pound belt.