Makhachev retains UFC title at 330 but bristles at Garry's mid-fight hugs and handshakes

Islam Makhachev defended his UFC lightweight title against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on Saturday night, winning a five-round decision — but it was Garry’s unusual in-fight conduct, not the scorecards, that dominated the post-fight conversation.

Throughout the 25-minute contest, Garry repeatedly shook Makhachev’s hand, embraced him and offered words of encouragement at the end of rounds. The gestures were well-intentioned, but Makhachev made clear at the post-fight press conference that he had little time for them.

“Honestly, I don’t understand,” Makhachev said. “This is a fight. This is not something we have to hug each other every round. We’re going to war. We’re going to break the face, to break the eye. I respect all my opponents. But he respects too much.”

Makhachev was quick to separate his frustration with the theatrics from his assessment of Garry as a fighter. He credited the Irishman for solid takedown defence across all five rounds, with Garry successfully preventing the champion from ever threatening a submission — a rare feat against one of MMA’s most dangerous grapplers.

The champion did, however, grow increasingly frustrated with Garry’s passive approach. “Very hard to fight with someone who stands and waits,” Makhachev said. “He’s just waiting and very hard to show a good performance with someone like that.”

Makhachev also alleged that Garry landed a deliberate head butt during a fourth-round takedown exchange, which he believes caused the bloody nose he was carrying out of the octagon. “He gave me a very hard head butt at the end of the fourth round when I made him slam — you can see he gave me a back head butt,” Makhachev said. “I thought maybe I broke the nose or something. It’s OK. Hard fight. It makes you improve.”

Despite the physical damage and the tactical frustrations, Makhachev acknowledged that Garry pushed him in ways that will ultimately sharpen him as a champion. “I respect him. He’s a good guy. Very kind. But this is a war. Look at my face. I just come to beat everything. This is not a game.”

The result extends Makhachev’s reign at the top of the lightweight division, with the Dagestani champion showing no signs of stepping back from active competition.