Garry vows to end Makhachev's record-tying 16-fight streak at UFC 330 in Philadelphia

Ian Machado Garry will challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC welterweight title in the main event of UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia, and the Irish contender is making no attempt to temper his ambitions — promising to snap the champion’s record-tying 16-fight winning streak.

Garry earned the title shot on the back of consecutive victories over former champion Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates in 2025, lifting his octagon record to 10-1. His only professional loss came in a short-notice decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov in 2024.

Makhachev’s current streak ties him with Anderson Silva for the longest in UFC history, built through title defences against Jack Della Maddalena, Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (twice) and Charles Oliveira across two weight classes. Garry, who trains alongside Oliveira in Brazil, is under no illusions about the scale of the task — but insists his physical attributes present problems Makhachev has never faced.

“I don’t think Islam has a lot of weaknesses,” Garry said in a video posted to his social media. “He’s never fought someone as long and tall as me. He’s not fought someone as fast as me. He’s not fought someone who has the distance management, the boxing capabilities, the head movement that I do, but also the takedown defense.”

Garry also addressed the prospect of being taken down — a scenario most fighters dread against the Dagestani grappler — and said he actively welcomes it as a stage to prove himself.

“He might get me down,” Garry said. “I hope he does. Because I want to prove to the world that he can’t submit me. I want to prove to the world that I can get back up. I want to prove to the world that I can beat him in his own world. I don’t care how long he’s trained in that area. I don’t care if he’s an internationally recognized master of Sambo or not.”

Garry closed with a declaration that left little room for ambiguity: “I’m going to bounce him on his skull. I’m going to take his title. I’m going to take his throne. And I’m going to finish that consecutive win streak. And I’ll always be the guy that stopped history from happening.”