Islam Makhachev says the UFC has not confirmed Ian Machado Garry as his next opponent for his first welterweight title defense.
Makhachev reacted after Carlos Prates stopped Jack Della Maddalena by third-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 275 in Perth. Prates’ finish added another contender to the discussion, but Makhachev said he still has no official direction from the promotion.
“The UFC haven’t informed me about it yet,” Makhachev said.
He then addressed the Garry matchup talk directly.
“There’s been a lot of rumors about me fighting Ian Garry next,” Makhachev said. “Yet I haven’t talked with any UFC officials about this fight. So I can’t tell for sure who is the next contender.”
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Makhachev is 28-1 overall in MMA and is listed as the current UFC welterweight champion after a long title run at lightweight. Garry is 17-1 and ranked No. 1 at welterweight. Prates is 24-7 and ranked No. 2 after the Della Maddalena finish in Perth. Michael Morales is 19-0 and ranked No. 3, while Kamaru Usman is 21-4, a former UFC welterweight champion, and still in the top 10. Shavkat Rakhmonov is also unbeaten at 19-0 and remains one of the harder matchups in the division.
Makhachev listed the names still under consideration.
“I’ve got three to four more possible matchups,” Makhachev said. “Kamaru Usman is also up there. Ian Garry, Morales, Prates. Four of them. Plus, Shavkat might be No. 5. They’re all expecting a title shot. I definitely need to fight someone, whoever the UFC puts me up against.”
Carlos Prates Added A New Problem At Welterweight
Prates entered the conversation because of what he did to Della Maddalena in Perth. Garry still holds the No. 1 ranking, but Prates now has a recent finish over a former champion. Morales remains unbeaten at 19-0, Usman has already held UFC gold at 170 pounds, and Rakhmonov is still undefeated. Makhachev did not dismiss any of them, but he singled out Prates as the matchup that interests him most right now.
Makhachev said other matchups could still sort the contender order, then pointed to Prates as the name gaining the most attention after Perth.
“Also, there’s a couple of matchups which would determine the real contender,” Makhachev said. “I think Prates has got the hype now. He’s talked much more about now. So I think a fight with him would be the most interesting.”
Makhachev also gave a technical read on Della Maddalena’s loss. He said the former champion never settled into his normal rhythm and allowed Prates to punish him when he entered range.
“Apparently, Maddalena could not collect himself,” Makhachev said. “Maybe, he hasn’t fully recovered from the last defeat. He couldn’t find his range. I have studied his fights a lot. Before we fought, he gets close, changes levels, and throws. But this time around, he just got close and took shots. Prates did an excellent job.”
The UFC already has several live routes for Makhachev’s welterweight title path. Garry has the top ranking, Prates has the latest finish, Morales has the undefeated record, Usman has former champion credentials, and Rakhmonov is still unbeaten. Makhachev’s stance was direct: he has not been told who is next, and he is ready to fight whoever the UFC books.
