Ian Machado Garry promised to start a dominant championship legacy after beating Islam Makhachev, while the UFC 330 welterweight champion dismissed the challenger as his next target during Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins in Philadelphia.
The two men stood chest-to-chest for their last faceoff before Saturday’s title fight at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Garry spoke to Makhachev throughout the staredown. They separated without a shove, then delivered sharply different final statements.
Garry Says A Win Leaves No Excuses
Garry called Makhachev the best fighter on the planet and noted that the champion is widely ranked No. 1. He said defeating that version of Makhachev would remove every possible argument against his own standing.
“When I beat him, everybody has no excuses.”
The unbeaten title challenger then described the matchup as the beginning of a dominant legacy. He told the Philadelphia audience that two of the sport’s biggest fighters were meeting head-to-head and said fans should appreciate the stakes.
“You get to witness greatness in the flesh tomorrow.”
Makhachev Gives Garry A Short Answer
Makhachev did not match Garry’s extended speech. Asked what the fight meant and how he viewed the challenger, the champion reduced the matchup to another assignment.
“He is just next target for me.”
Makhachev added that he was ready and expected to make the crowd happy on fight night. The answer followed a week in which he told the same Philadelphia audience that nobody liked Garry, while Garry insisted the boos would turn into support after he won the belt.
UFC 330 Main Event Is Official At 170 Pounds
Makhachev and Garry each weighed 170 pounds during the official scale window, confirming the welterweight championship fight. Their official weigh-in results and scale videos cleared the final competitive requirement hours before the ceremonial event.
Makhachev enters at 28-1 and is making his first defense of the welterweight championship. A victory would give him a 17th consecutive UFC win and move him beyond Anderson Silva’s former company record. Garry is 17-1 and competing in his first UFC title fight after consecutive victories over Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad.
The early prelims begin Saturday, Aug. 15, at 5 p.m. ET. The prelims start at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET. The event streams on Paramount+, with Mackenzie Dern defending the strawweight title against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event.
The ceremonial staredown was their third major meeting of fight week, following the Rocky statue faceoff and Thursday’s press-conference stage encounter.
