Ian Machado Garry may look back on his UFC 330 main event against Islam Makhachev and wish he had shown more urgency in the final round, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
Garry was defeated by Makhachev in a closely contested, technical battle on Saturday, with the victory allowing Makhachev to retain his welterweight title and break Anderson Silva’s previous UFC record of 16 consecutive victories inside the Octagon.
While White praised Garry’s performance and his impressive takedown defense, he was critical of the Irishman’s demeanor throughout the fight. Garry repeatedly appeared willing to shake hands or touch gloves with Makhachev, something White felt worked against him given the stakes of the bout.
“I felt like tonight was set up for the upset,” White told reporters after the event. “I felt like the upset could happen tonight with so much on the line, all the records that Islam has, and he's going to break Anderson Silva's record. There's weight classes for a reason. Ian Garry is a big, rangy, strong guy who has great takedown defense.”
White pointed specifically to Garry’s ability to defend Makhachev’s takedowns as evidence that the 28-year-old had the tools to cause an upset.
“I mean, if you look at his takedown defense tonight against Islam, it was impressive,” White said. “I think that Ian is a talented guy.”
However, White believes Garry missed an opportunity to push for a finish in the fifth round after doing significant damage to Makhachev’s body and face.
“If he had even an ounce of killer instinct in that fifth round, you know, he had been beating him to the body,” White said. “Islam's whole, I think, right side was beat up. His face was beat up. You don't come out and hug and shake hands. That shit drives me fucking crazy when there's so much at stake.”
White also suggested that Garry could have used the final round to create a more chaotic fight and test Makhachev with an unexpected attack.
“And there's also a lot of mental, you know, gamesmanship, whatever you want to call it in this game,” White said. “You come out in that fifth round with a flying knee or something crazy and you try to finish the fight.”
Ultimately, White believes the loss could become a learning experience for Garry, particularly when he watches the fight back and assesses the opportunities he had to change the outcome.
“I think that this is one of those fights that Ian will go back and watch and say, fuck, wish I could do that over again,” White said.
