Islam Makhachev’s teammate reveals one welterweight fighter who could cause the champion serious problems

Islam Makhachev enters UFC 330 as a heavy favourite against Ian Machado Garry to defend his welterweight title for the first time.

That being said, his teammate Luke Rockhold believes Garry presents one of the toughest challenges currently available at 170 pounds. Makhachev will headline UFC 330 on August 15 at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena against Garry after capturing the welterweight belt with a victory over Jack Della Maddalena.

In a recent episode of the JAXXON PODCAST, Rockhold said:

“Anybody can beat him on any given day. I think Ian is one of the biggest problems. I think they’re matching that up for a reason. But we will see. I think Islam gets to him later in the fight. If he has problems with him early, he’ll get to him late, and it will wear.”

Check out Luke Rockhold’s comments below (59:15):

Garry secured his title opportunity by defeating former champion Belal Muhammad and now looks to hand the pound-for-pound king only the second loss of his professional career. While Makhachev’s wrestling, suffocating top control and 16-fight UFC winning streak have made him a sizeable betting favourite, many analysts believe that Garry possesses the attributes to create problems, particularly during the early stages of the contest.

The matchup also presents an intriguing stylistic clash. Garry brings a five-inch height advantage, a four-inch reach edge and a high-volume striking game that averages nearly twice as many significant strikes landed per minute as Makhachev. However, Makhachev’s wrestling skills and ability to wear opponents down have become defining traits of his title reign.

Sean O’Malley backs Ian Machado Garry to shock Islam Makhachev at UFC 330

Sean O’Malley believes Ian Machado Garry has what it takes to pull off a major upset when he challenges Islam Makhachev for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia.

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, the former UFC bantamweight champion picked Garry to defeat Makhachev despite the champion entering the bout as a heavy favourite. O’Malley believes Garry’s size, length, movement and confidence could trouble the reigning champion:

“I think Ian gets it done. Not the way sh*t’s been going, but I think Ian’s that f*cking good. He’s so big, he’s so long, and he’s so confident. Then Khabib [Nurmagomedov] came out and said, ‘Ian’s a hard matchup for us.’ He’s long, he moves well, he moves a lot. He’s not going to go in there and get single-legged, easy dumped. He’s going to scoop back, he’s going to throw, and it”s going to be a difficult fight. I’m excited for it. Dagestan vs. Ireland, this is an epic f*cking fight.”