Islam
Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, has nothing but praise for
Ian
Garry.
Makhachev (29-1) put his
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line
against Garry (17-2) at UFC
330 in Philadelphia. The challenger pushed the champ to the
limit, stuffing multiple takedown and submission attempts, but
ultimately lost via decision.
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Ian Garry earns praise from Islam Makhachev’s coach after
pushing the champion at UFC 330
While Makhachev was able to take Garry down, he wasn’t able to
control the Irishman as he did against his previous opponents.
Makhachev even missed several takedown attempts altogether.
Furthermore, Garry showed no signs of fatigue throughout the bout
and appeared to be the fresher fighter the deeper the fight went,
while the champion’s face was heavily bruised.
Mendez was impressed with Garry’s valiant display and believes the
former
Cage Warriors champ should remain the No. 1 welterweight
contender on the UFC’s official’s rankings after his performance
against Makhachev.
“Ian Garry came in to demonstrate how tough he was, how deserving
he is of the No. 1 spot and he proved his point,” Mendez told
Submission Radio. “He’s the No. 1 contender for a reason and he
probably should stay No. 1 contender after this performance, in my
opinion.”
Makhachev is targeting Carlos
Prates for his next title defense, with the unbeaten Michael
Morales, who weighed in as a backup at UFC 330, also in
contention.