Ian Machado Garry is convinced that Islam Makhachev doesn’t want to fight him.
Makhachev is currently dealing with a hand injury, and there have been no updates on how severe the injury is and whether it will keep him sidelined for long. Previously, the Russian fighter was expected to return to the octagon after Ramadan.
Ian Machado Garry believes Islam Makhachev is ducking him
With the main events now scheduled all the way till UFC Freedom 250, Islam Makhachev will most probably make the first defense of his welterweight title on the International Fight Week card or after July.
However, “The Future” does mind waiting that long.
He has been training for a potential Makhachev bout even since he beat Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar. And now, after learning that the pound-for-pound king is injured, “The Future” isn’t buying it. In a recent Instagram video, he said:
I don’t have a hand injury. [Laughs]. Yeah, I heard that too [Islam Makhachev has got a hand injury], but I do not believe it. I don’t know what to believe. I can’t imagine he hurt his hand in the last fight with Jack. So maybe he did it while horse riding. I don’t know. I don’t believe it.”
Garry is not convinced that Islam Makhachev’s hand injury is real. He added:
I think they’re excuses. Everything about me tells me now he just doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t want to fight. I don’t know if it’s mentally, physically, or whatever it is, but yeah, he is doing the typical thing that all champions do when they get the belt. They try to maintain their position and maintain relevance by not fighting and staying inactive. When I fight, that all changes.”
Check out Ian Machado Garry’s comments below:
In the caption of his Instagram video, the Dubliner added that once he becomes the UFC welterweight champion, he will be “insanely active.”
Ian Machado Garry, the short-notice risk-taker, has taken 2 of his last 3 bouts on short notice and won in two. And now, “The Future” firmly believes he deserves the next 170-pound title shot.
Makhachev, on the other hand, successfully defended his UFC lightweight championship for the fourth time at UFC 311 by submitting Renato Moicano, after which he vacated, moved up, and captured the welterweight throne at UFC 322 by dethroning Jack Della Maddalena.
When Makhachev returns, he will either lock horns with Ian Machado Garry or No. 3-ranked welterweight Michael Morales.
Who do you think should get the next UFC welterweight title shot? Let us know in the comments below.
