Islam Makhachev used Philadelphia’s hostile reception for Ian Machado Garry to take a direct shot at his UFC 330 challenger.
Boos followed Garry each time he spoke during Thursday’s press conference. Garry answered by predicting the same crowd would support him once he won the welterweight championship.
Saturday night that belt’s wrapped around my waist and every single one of you is going to change. It’s going to be ‘let’s go Garry’ chants. I love you, too.
Garry Refuses To Let The Crowd Change His Moment
Garry pointed to his son in the audience and said the reaction could not erase a goal he had carried since he was a teenager.
I couldn’t give a f*ck. I couldn’t care less. My little boy is here laughing and smiling and making faces. I’m living the dream. Islam is here. I get to show up on Saturday night and fight for a world title.
I dreamt of this moment when I was a 16-year-old kid. I dreamt of being a UFC fighter. I dreamt of having the ability to fight for a UFC world title. This weekend on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, all of my dreams come true, and nobody can take that away from me.
Makhachev received cheers from the same audience. Asked whether Garry’s reception surprised him, the champion questioned the challenger’s connection to Ireland and Brazil.
No, I’m not surprised. I know. Nobody likes Ian Garry, myself also. Because people are confused which country you represent. Brazil or Ireland? People don’t know. People know who they have to support.
Garry later said Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov would be proud of what Makhachev and his team had achieved. Makhachev immediately answered:
Shut up.
The comments followed a week in which the fighters had remained largely respectful, including their first meeting at the Rocky statue. The crowd exchange also arrived after Josh Hokit targeted Garry’s son during fight week. They compete Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, where Makhachev seeks his first welterweight defense and a record-setting 17th consecutive UFC victory, a streak Dustin Poirier recently placed above Silva’s run.
