Mendez calls Garry's UFC 330 title-fight strategy 'genius' as White labels him too passive

Javier Mendez has defended Ian Garry’s gameplan against Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 on 15 August, calling it “genius” and directly contradicting UFC CEO Dana White, who criticised the Irish challenger for being too passive in his unanimous-decision defeat for the welterweight title.

Makhachev retained his belt on the scorecards in what was widely regarded as a low-action main event. White’s post-fight assessment was blunt: Garry was too respectful of the champion and that deference cost him any realistic chance of an upset.

Mendez, head coach at the American Kickboxing Academy, sees the same fight through a very different lens. “From that perspective, I get where he [Dana White] is coming from, but he doesn’t understand the mentality of a fighter and what Ian pulled off,” Mendez said. “If he understood that, then he’d have a different outlook on it like I do.”

The veteran coach acknowledged the bout was not an entertaining spectacle, but argued that the tactical dynamic between the two fighters explained the lack of exchanges. Garry, he said, was operating as a defensive counter-striker, while Makhachev was disciplined enough not to overextend and walk into danger.

“I understand this more than anybody, probably, on the mental side of it and what I saw from Ian was so impressive,” Mendez added. “The fight was somewhat lackluster. So, yeah, the Dana thing, you know, I get it, where he’s coming from. But from the mentality of a coach, where I’m coming from… Being a coach, that was genius on Ian’s part.”

The split in opinion between the promotion’s figurehead and one of MMA’s most respected coaches highlights a recurring tension in the sport: the gap between what makes a fight commercially satisfying and what constitutes sound competitive strategy against an elite champion. Makhachev has long been considered one of the most difficult stylistic puzzles in the UFC, and Garry’s willingness to prioritise survival and counter-opportunities over volume was, in Mendez’s view, a mark of tactical maturity rather than timidity.