Ian Machado Garry understands the magnitude of the challenge awaiting him when he steps into the Octagon against Islam Makhachev on August 15.
The undefeated Irish contender (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) is set to become the first fighter to challenge Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) for the UFC welterweight championship when they headline UFC 330 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
While Makhachev enters the fight riding a 16-fight winning streak dating back to 2015, Machado Garry remains as confident as ever that he has the tools to end the champion's dominant run and begin his own reign at 170 pounds.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, Machado Garry acknowledged the difficulty of the matchup while expressing complete confidence in his ability to dethrone the reigning champion.
"I don't think Islam has a lot of weaknesses," Machado Garry said. "He's never fought someone as long and tall as me. He's not fought someone as fast as me. He's not fought someone who has the distance management, the boxing capabilities, the head movement that I do, but also the takedown defense."
The Irishman also welcomed the possibility of being forced into grappling exchanges with one of the sport's most accomplished wrestlers.
"He might get me down…I hope he does, because I want to prove to the world that he can't submit me. I want to prove to the world that I can get back up. I want to prove to the world that I can beat him in his own world."
Machado Garry dismissed Makhachev's decorated background in Sambo, insisting that his own skill set will ultimately prove to be the difference.
"I don't care how long he's trained in that area. I don't care if he's an internationally recognized master of Sambo or not. I'm going to bounce him on his skull. I'm going to take his title. I'm going to take his throne. And I'm going to finish that consecutive win streak. And I'll always be the guy that stopped history from happening."
If Machado Garry can deliver on his prediction, he would not only capture UFC gold for the first time but also hand Makhachev his first loss in more than a decade, ending one of the longest active winning streaks in mixed martial arts.
