Ian Machado Garry looked noticeably taller than welterweight champion Islam Makhachev when they met for their final UFC 330 faceoff in Philadelphia.
The staredown followed Thursday’s pre-fight press conference at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Garry held the height advantage at close range, but neither fighter pushed or traded words. Garry patted Makhachev on the back as they separated.
Different Shoes Changed The View
The visual differed from their first UFC 330 faceoff at the Rocky statue, where Makhachev said he expected Garry to appear taller. Garry blamed the smaller gap on their footwear. Thursday’s stage meeting supported that explanation.
Garry has competed at welterweight throughout his UFC run, while Makhachev moved up after ruling the lightweight division. The size question matters because Garry must keep the champion at range before Makhachev can connect his pressure, clinch entries and takedowns. Garry has already described that worst-case control as being trapped beneath a weighted blanket.
Makhachev enters his first welterweight title defense with a 28-1 record. A win would extend his UFC streak to 17, moving him past Anderson Silva’s former company record, a run Dustin Poirier recently compared with Silva’s. Garry is 17-1 and earned the title opportunity with consecutive wins over Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad.
UFC 330 takes place Saturday, Aug. 15, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The card streams on Paramount+, with Mackenzie Dern defending the strawweight championship against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event.
