Ian Machado Garry challenges Islam Makhachev for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 on Saturday, in the biggest fight of his career. The 28-year-old Irishman has a 10-1 UFC record since his 2021 debut and is widely regarded as one of the most divisive fighters in the sport.
Machado Garry has drawn criticism for his outspoken views, including his recent Peta ambassadorship and his comments on the High Performance Podcast that the world would be better off run by women. His reaction to Neil Magny's pre-fight comments in 2023 also sparked controversy, with Magny later claiming that Machado Garry's stance had caused difficulties in his custody battle.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has signed Machado Garry to his new talent agency. Hearn told The Independent: "He's a little bit outspoken. He's very focused on what he wants to do and the way that's going to do it, and he doesn't really care about the noise from the outside. And I think that he's got the kind of personality that, if he wins this fight, he becomes a superstar – and he becomes arguably the biggest name in the UFC."
Makhachev, 34, is a two-weight world champion, unbeaten in 11 years, and one win away from the all-time record of consecutive victories. At Thursday's press conference, he repeatedly urged Machado Garry to "shut up" after the challenger interrupted him while he was answering a question about his late coach.