Islam Makhachev Doesn’t See Leg Kicks and Knee Strike as Threats from Ian Garry in Striking Department

Islam Makhachev weighs in on Ian Garry's striking arsenal ahead of UFC 330, explaining why certain weapons do not concern him.

Islam Makhachev Doesn’t See Leg Kicks and Knee Strike as Threats from Ian Garry in Striking Department

Islam Makhachev doesn't see danger from Ian Garry in striking [via the Independent and X]

After winning the title in November last year, Islam Makhachev is set to defend the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 330. His first challenger will be the 18-1 welterweight, Ian Garry. Heading into this fight, however, the Dagestani champion has given quite a brutal assessment of the Irishman’s skills, specifically how dangerous he is on the feet.

Garry is 10-1 in the UFC, riding a 2-fight win streak. His most recent wins came against Carlos Prates in April last year, and former champion, Belal Muhammad, just 7 months later. However, it is somewhat telling that 6 of his last fights have gone to decision. Moreover, he lost one of those fights as Shavkat Rakhmonov snatched his undefeated record at UFC 310.

Makhachev even referenced that fight to point out how little danger the Irishman poses to him on the feet. The double champion revealed that he was sat in the front row during UFC 310 and saw the threats posed by the 28-year-old firsthand. It’s safe to say from his recent breakdown that he is not impressed with the flurry of leg kicks and knee stomps that Garry brings to the table.

I haven’t seen him seriously injure anyone with his knee strike. It could be Shavkat, but despite that, Shavkat was able to finish the fight. So the injury wasn’t that serious for Shavkat. I was sitting in the front row, I remember that.

Islam Makhachev via Adam Zubayraev

Ian Garry has a style that is based around movement and keeping his opponent on the outside of his range. As such, leg kicks and knee strikes are his bread and butter.

Moreover, in stark opposition to Makhachev’s claims Garry had actually claimed responsibility for putting Rakhmonov on the shelf after it emerged that he would be out for a while. However, he was clowned heavily by fans for doing that.

Nonetheless, Islam Makhachev has always had great gameplans for his fights, as evidenced by his dissection of Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322.

A big part of that planning is being cognizant of an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Thus, it appears that the Dagestani welterweight has deemed Garry to not be a threat in the striking department.

Moreover, the 34-year-old also had some scathing comments when he was asked if this was the second round in the Irish vs Dagestani rivalry.

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Islam Makhachev calls upcoming fight with Ian Garry as Dagestan vs Ireland rivalry from ‘AliExpress’

Few rivalries in all of sports, let alone MMA, are as storied and fabled as Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov. Their UFC 229 encounter remains the highest-selling pay-per-view in UFC history, with an equally explosive build to their bout. Their feud was so heated that the two continue to take shots at each other despite the completion of 8 years since their fight.

Islam Makhachev vs Ian Garry set for UFC 330
Islam Makhachev vs Ian Garry set for UFC 330 (via Instagram)

In fact, this rivalry has even spilled over to training partners and teammates with McGregor calling out Islam Makhachev to a fight after he won the 170lbs title. As such, when Makhachev was asked whether his upcoming bout against Ian Garry was a spiritual successor to the historic rivalry, the Dagestani brushed off the question with quite a cheeky response.

Like they say: From AliExpress right?

Islam Makhachev via Ushatayka

For the uninitiated, Ali Express is a Chinese website popular for the unpredictability of the products it delivers. The platform has become infamous for its bizarre knockoffs and falsely advertised products that are far cries from the original they are imitating. As such, this was a brutal dig from the Dagestani double champion, even if it is slightly at his own expense.

All in all, as Makhachev heads into his first title defense at welterweight, the former UFC lightweight champion appears supremely confident. However, only the result of the main event bout on August 15 will decide whether that confidence is founded in fact or fiction.

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