Islam
Makhachev is leaving no stone unturned in preparation for his
first welterweight title defense, roping in fighters with a similar
build to Ian
Garry.
Makhachev is scheduled to put his
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line
against Garry in the main event of UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The
Russian has reportedly brought in Alvarez from Spain to help him
get familiar with his upcoming Irish foe’s frame.
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Joel Alvarez helps Islam Makhachev prepare for Ian Garry’s
height, range and distance game
While Makhachev is a heavy favorite going into UFC 330, a lot has
been made of Garry’s defensive savviness and distance management.
Alvarez stands at 6-foot-2 and is also adept at fighting at a
distance and using his range as an advantage, which is likely why
he’s been summoned to assist Makhachev. The Dagestani’s teammate,
Professional Fighters League champion Usman
Nurmagomedov, has also been mimicking Garry ahead of UFC
330.
The former lightweight champion and current No.1 pound-for-pound
fighter previously praised Alvarez after his knockout win over
Thiago
Moises in 2021 and the Spaniard subsequently expressed
gratitude while revealing that he and his training partner would
role-play Makhachev and Khabib
Nurmagomedov during sparring.
Alvarez is 8-3 in the UFC with all of his losses coming against
elite opponents. The 33-year-old is coming off a submission defeat
to Yaroslav
Amosov at
UFC 328 this past May that snapped a four-fight winning
streak.
Alvarez’s jiu jitsu coach, Tito Beltran, revealed the news on
Instagram while announcing that „El Fenomeno“ won’t be available
for a camp in August in Valencia, Spain.