Jorge Masvidal may have come up short in two UFC title fights against Kamaru Usman, but that history didn’t stop him from stepping in to defend the former welterweight king. Masvidal took aim at Irish contender Ian Machado Garry after Garry dismissed Usman as a “has-been” amid ongoing debates over the next UFC welterweight title challenger.
Usman lost three straight fights before rebounding with a win over Joaquin Buckley, and Garry believes that skid should remove him from title contention entirely. Instead, Garry argues that younger contenders like himself, Michael Morales, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Carlos Prates deserve the next crack at champion Islam Makhachev. Masvidal wasn’t having it.
“I never thought I’d actually be here advocating for Usman or anything, but here I am,” Masvidal said on Death Row MMA. “Calling Usman a has-been is crazy when you’ve never even been, brother. You’re nothing. You might be a contender right now, you beat Belal [Muhammad], but you had to eye-poke him twice. It’s not like you stopped him.”
Masvidal questioned Garry’s résumé and mocked what he sees as manufactured entitlement to a title shot.
“I don’t hear anyone else saying this guy deserves the next shot,” Masvidal added. “It’s just him and his wife talking about how he deserves it.”
Despite acknowledging Usman’s age, Masvidal made it clear he still favors the former champion in a potential matchup with Garry.
“Maybe he’s pushing 40-year-old Usman, but I still see Usman beating the crap out of Ian Garry,” Masvidal said. “Ian’s not the best welterweight out there. He’s big, he’s gifted, he’s like a light heavyweight at welterweight but he already got rocked by Shavkat, who I think is the most deserving guy at 170.”
Masvidal didn’t stop there. He also criticized Garry’s fighting style, calling it uninspiring and overly cautious.
“For him to say Usman is irrelevant man, what the f**k have you done?” Masvidal said. “He talks more than anything. His style is boring. He lands and then he walks away, starts dancing, clinching. Bro, get in there and fight. That’s why nobody’s talking about him.”
The UFC has yet to announce Islam Makhachev’s next opponent for 2026, but the welterweight picture remains crowded. While Garry continues to campaign loudly, Masvidal made it clear that, in his view, respect and a real claim to greatness still matters in the title conversation.
