Former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley has weighed in on the upcoming welterweight title clash between Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry, which is set to headline UFC 330 next month. Despite the widespread belief that Garry may struggle against Makhachev’s grappling expertise, O'Malley predicts that the Irishman will pull off an upset.
In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, O'Malley expressed his confidence in Garry, stating that he believes the Irishman will get the job done. According to O'Malley, Garry's physical attributes and mindset make him a formidable opponent. He noted that Garry is big, long, and highly confident. O'Malley also referenced comments from Khabib Nurmagomedov, who previously labeled Garry a difficult matchup due to his length and movement.
O'Malley dismissed the idea that Garry would be easily taken down, suggesting that the challenger would be able to defend effectively and turn the contest into a difficult fight. He characterized the upcoming bout between the representatives of Dagestan and Ireland as an epic encounter.
The former champion also addressed potential criticism regarding Makhachev’s fighting style. He recalled the negative fan reaction to Makhachev’s performance against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last November, where the champion secured a win by holding his opponent on the ground for 25 minutes. O'Malley acknowledged that while such tactics are sometimes necessary to secure a victory, repeating that strategy against Garry could potentially impact the ongoing conversation regarding Makhachev’s status as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Islam Makhachev enters the bout following his title win over Jack Della Maddalena, while Ian Machado Garry secured his spot after outpointing Belal Muhammad over three rounds at UFC Qatar in the same month.
Not the way sh*t's been going, but I think Ian's that f*cking good.
People were like, 'This is not what we want to watch.' That's sometimes how you have to win fights.
