PFL's unbeaten Pergande flatly contradicts Garry's filming story ahead of UFC 330 title fight

PFL featherweight Alexei Pergande has directly contradicted Ian Garry’s account of a sparring-session filming dispute, calling the welterweight contender’s version of events an outright lie. The row has erupted weeks before Garry is scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 on 15 August at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

The dispute began when Pergande posted footage of a training session in which he took Garry down. The clip spread quickly online, and Garry responded by unfollowing Pergande on Instagram. Explaining the decision to a fan, Garry alleged that “Russian DNA” had filmed the session without his permission and had continued recording even after being asked to stop.

“Because he filmed me without permission, then secretly kept filming me after I asked him to stop and has been editing and reposting the same session for four years,” Garry wrote. “I liked the kid but respect when someone says no to filming you.”

Pergande, who carries an unblemished 8-0 record in the Professional Fighters League, rejected every element of that account in a TikTok response. He said his fiancée was filming openly from beside the cage, in full view of Garry’s wife, UFC middleweight Chris Curtis, and Garry’s own cameraman — and that nobody at any point asked her to stop.

“I didn’t know the day would come when Ian Garry is lying about me… None of that was true,” Pergande said. “I’m not sure why he made up a lie that never happened. Because his wife, his training partner Chris Curtis, his cameraman were all next to my fiancée. She was right up on the cage next to the fence and she was filming freely. And not once did someone ask, ‘Hey, can we not record this session?’”

Pergande also suggested the episode has been amplified beyond its natural scale because of the spotlight surrounding Garry’s imminent title shot, implying the controversy serves as an unwanted distraction in the build-up to one of the biggest fights of the Irishman’s career.

Garry (17-1) enters the Makhachev bout having recovered from his sole professional defeat, a loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is currently sidelined through injury. Makhachev (28-1) defends the welterweight belt as champion. Neither Garry’s camp nor UFC officials have commented further on the social-media spat.