Zero UFC title fight may be the harsh reality of Ian Machado Garry after his failed bid to dethrone UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 330.
While Garry delivered a competitive performance against one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, UFC CEO Dana White was far from impressed with the Irish contender’s approach in the championship rounds. In particular, White took issue with Garry repeatedly embracing, shaking hands with, and showing respect to Makhachev throughout the fight.
Following UFC 330, White blasted what he viewed as a lack of urgency from Garry during the biggest opportunity of his career. Speaking again after UFC Sacramento, the UFC boss doubled down on those comments and made it clear he believes Garry squandered valuable moments in the Octagon.
“You get this opportunity, you’ve worked your whole life to get there, and you come out in the fifth round after you do all this great work, and you want to start hugging him and shaking hands,” White said.
“Tell him how f***ing great he is when they’re putting the belt around your waist. He might never get that opportunity again, and he probably won’t get another shot at Islam. Islam is going to go down as one of the all-time greats, maybe even the greatest by the time he’s done.”
“You have five fing minutes. Every second of that round counts. Don’t waste 10 seconds telling this guy you fing love him.”
Interestingly, Islam Makhachev shared a similar view after successfully defending his welterweight title.
The reigning champion admitted he respects Ian Machado Garry but felt the challenger was overly friendly during a fight that should have been treated like a war.
“Bro, honestly, I don’t understand,” Makhachev said after UFC 330.“This is a fight. This is not something where we have to hug each other every round. We’re going to war. We’re trying to break each other’s face. I respect all my opponents, but maybe Ian respects too much.”
“He’s a good guy. Very kind. I respect him. But this is a fight, not a game. Look at my face. I come in there to beat everybody. This isn’t something you play around with.”
Despite the criticism, Garry showed plenty of heart against Makhachev. He survived a second-round head-kick knockdown, landed some solid shots of his own, and managed to leave visible damage on the champion.
