Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry have exchanged some final verbal blows in a heated face-off ahead of their blockbuster welterweight title fight at UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
With both fighters successfully making weight, attention quickly turned to their final face-off, where Garry attempted to get inside the champion’s head by reminding Makhachev of exactly what he believes is at stake.
UFC 330: Makhachev v Machado Garry | SUN 16 AUGUST 11AM AEST | UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev will return to the octagon for another tittle defence, where he takes on Ian Machado Garry in Philadelphia. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
“This is it brother, everything’s on the line. All the records, everything. You ready? The biggest fight,” Garry told him.
Makhachev immediately fired back: “It’s not the biggest.”
But Garry continued.
“Yeah, but everything you did is on the line. Everything you’ll lose. Everything to lose, everything to gain.”
The Irish challenger was equally bullish when speaking on stage, declaring victory over the man widely regarded as the world’s pound-for-pound best would mark the beginning of his own era.
“Tomorrow night I get the opportunity to fight the best fighter on the planet right now, considered by everybody to be the number one in the world,” Garry said.
“When I beat him, everybody has no excuses. Ian Machado is great and it’s the start of a dominant legacy for me.
“Tomorrow night, I want everybody to know what’s at stake. This is two of the biggest fighters ever in this sport going head-to-head.
“You should all be grateful, you should all be looking, you get to witness greatness in the flesh tomorrow.”
Makhachev, meanwhile, appeared far less interested in the hype surrounding his latest challenger, delivering a cold response when asked for his thoughts on Garry.
‘Stick to the f**** sport!’ Ian goes OFF | 00:32
“He’s just next target for me,” Makhachev said.
“I’m ready, and I’ll make all these people happy tomorrow.”
Elsewhere, strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern and challenger Gillian Robertson both successfully made weight ahead of their co-main event title fight.
The pair then came face-to-face for one final time before entering the Octagon, sharing an intense staredown as neither fighter gave an inch.
Dern will make her first defence of the strawweight crown against Robertson, who enters the championship showdown riding a five-fight winning streak.
The stage is now set for UFC 330 in Philadelphia, with Makhachev putting his welterweight crown on the line against Garry in the main event before the pair finally get the chance to settle their heated exchange inside the Octagon.