Ian Machado Garry heavily booed at UFC 330 press conference ahead of Makhachev title bout

Key facts

Garry, 17-1 in pro MMA and 10-1 in last 11 UFC fights, challenges champion Makhachev, 28-1 with one career loss, for welterweight title Saturday, August 15 in Philadelphia
Makhachev, 34, is making his first welterweight title defense after winning the belt in November; a win gives him his 17th consecutive UFC victory, breaking Anderson Silva’s 13-year-old record of 16
Garry was heavily booed throughout the Philadelphia press conference on Thursday while Makhachev received cheers; Makhachev said fans were confused about Garry’s national representation
Garry’s last five wins have all come by decision
Despite the hostile crowd reception, Garry and Makhachev remained cordial during face-offs, shaking hands and showing no animosity

The matchup and setup

Ian Machado Garry will challenge welterweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 330 on Saturday, August 15, at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Makhachev, 34, is defending the welterweight title for the first time after claiming the belt in November and vacating his lightweight title in January 2025. Garry, 28, earned his title shot as the number one contender in the welterweight division.

The press conference reception

At Thursday’s pre-fight press conference in Philadelphia, Garry was met with sustained booing from the crowd as soon as he took the microphone, while Makhachev received loud cheers whenever he spoke. Garry responded by predicting the crowd would chant his name after he won the belt on Saturday night. “On Saturday night that belt will be wrapped around my waist and every single one of you is going to change—it’s going to be ‘let’s go Garry’ chants,” he said.

When asked about the hostile reception, Garry dismissed it, saying he could not care less and emphasized that he was living his dream by fighting for a world title. He noted that his young son was present at the event and was laughing at the situation. “I dreamt of this room when I was a 16-year-old kid and this weekend all of my dreams come true. Nobody can take that away from me,” Garry said.

Makhachev’s response

Makhachev offered his view on why the Philadelphia crowd favored him over Garry, saying people did not know which country Garry represented—referencing apparent confusion about whether he represents Brazil or Ireland. “Nobody likes Ian Garry, myself also. Because people are confused which country you represent,” Makhachev said.

When Garry interjected during a question to suggest that the late Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap would be proud of Makhachev, the champion shut down Garry’s attempt to comment, telling him to stop speaking on the matter.

Garry’s record and stakes

Garry holds a professional record of 17 wins in 18 bouts, with 10 wins from his last 11 UFC fights. His last five victories have all come by decision. Makhachev has a career record of 28 wins and 1 loss across 29 fights, with 17 UFC wins from 18 bouts. His sole loss came in 2015. A victory would give Makhachev his 17th consecutive UFC win, breaking Anderson Silva’s 16-win streak that has stood for 13 years.

Prefight demeanor

Despite the tension at the press conference, Garry and Makhachev remained cordial during their face-offs. On Wednesday, Garry said he felt “nervous energy” from Makhachev during a face-off in front of the Rocky Balboa statue. By Thursday, their interaction was relaxed, with the two shaking hands before Garry asked, “You ready?” During the post-press-conference face-off, Garry appeared noticeably taller than Makhachev, a size difference Garry attributed to shoe height earlier in the week.

Other title action

The co-main event at UFC 330 features strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern making her first title defense against Gillian Robertson. Both women exchanged words during the press conference but were cordial during their face-off.

Sources

Featured photo: Matthew Tosh via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)