After a big night of welterweight fights including a title changing hands last week at UFC 322, Ian Machado Garry has the distinction of going last— with the chance to make a lasting impression and stake his claim to a title shot.
With Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, and the injured Shavkat Rakhmonov (who Garry admits is deserving of number one contender status, but who he does not believe will return to action soon) all vying for a shot against new champ Islam Makhachev, Garry may be the benefactor of timing more than anything. Though that is not exactly how he sees it.
“I don’t think it’s the advantage of me being last, I think it’s me being the best, and the most interesting,” Garry (16-1) said during the UFC Qatar media day on Wednesday. “I think the guys did a great job last week, and they did what they needed to do. However I believe I am the deciding factor in what happens in the rest of the division.”
“Islam winning the belt means he is that he is the champion of the world. We need a number one contender. When you beat number one and you knock out number one in the fashion that I believe I’m going to do it in, there’s nothing else. I’m next.”
Belal Muhammad is that number one contender, the former champ who lost to Jack Della Maddalena back in May. IMG (let’s do the three initial thing here), however, did take issue with another former champ being in play. The newly crowned Makhachev has called for a fight with Kamaru Usman, who picked up his first victory since 2021 earlier this year.
“He’s calling out Kamaru Usman— that’s a has been. Someone who used to be, not is right now,” claimed Garry. “When you’ve got the likes of me, Morales, Prates, all of us contending to be the next best thing in this division, there’s no question. When I knock out Belal this weekend, I’m the number one contender. And the right thing to do, is [for] Islam, is to defend the belt against me.”
It’s not the name Belal Muhammad that is driving Garry either, he clarified. “I don’t necessarily care for Belal, I care that he’s number one. He’s number one in the world, so when I knock out number one, I become number one and there’s no one else above number one except Islam Makhachev, the champion.”
“That’s my goal. My entire goal this weekend is to go out there and leave it undoubtable, unquestionable, undeniable that Ian Machado Garry is the best welterweight walking the planet right now, and Islam Makhachev better back it up and challenge me for that belt.”
Watch the full UFC Qatar media day appearance by Ian Machado Garry above.
