McGregor hails Garry's 'champion mindset' after UFC 330 title loss to Makhachev

Conor McGregor has offered public support to fellow Irishman Ian Garry following Garry’s unanimous decision loss to Islam Makhachev in the UFC 330 welterweight title main event in Philadelphia — only the second defeat of Garry’s professional career.

After the fight, Garry took to social media to reflect on the defeat, acknowledging that Makhachev was simply the better man on the night while vowing to learn from the experience. In a post the following day, “The Future” doubled down on his positive outlook. McGregor responded directly in the comments with a pointed two-word endorsement: “Champion mindset!”

The encouragement carries some weight given McGregor had been among Garry’s most vocal supporters heading into the bout. Before UFC 330, McGregor predicted that Garry — a fellow former Cage Warriors champion — would knock out Makhachev, a bold call against one of the sport’s dominant pound-for-pound fighters.

Makhachev’s victory extended his UFC winning streak to 17 consecutive fights, a new record for the promotion. The Dagestani champion’s performance further cemented his standing at the top of the welterweight division and left little room to dispute the scorecards.

For Garry, the defeat is a significant setback in his rise through the welterweight ranks, but his public response — and the endorsement it drew from McGregor — suggests the 28-year-old Dublin native intends to treat the loss as a stepping stone rather than a ceiling.