Javier Mendez is not waiting until UFC 330 to start the Islam Makhachev legacy argument. His view is that a welterweight title defense over Ian Machado Garry would drag Makhachev even deeper into the greatest-of-all-time debate.
Makhachev defends the UFC welterweight title against Garry on August 15, 2026, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The card airs on Paramount+, with the main card listed for 9 p.m. ET. It is the same fight week lane that already had Makhachev denying retirement talk before UFC 330 and Garry getting picked apart from every angle.
Mendez made the comments in a written interview before Makhachev’s first welterweight title defense.
Mendez’s interview short is below.
Mendez sees a bigger number behind the matchup. Makhachev is 28-1, owns a 16-fight UFC winning streak, won the lightweight belt, defended it four times, moved to 170 pounds, and took the welterweight belt from Jack Della Maddalena. A Garry win would be his first defense at welterweight and would keep the two-division champion moving toward a record nobody else in UFC history has reached.
“The sky’s the limit as to how far he’s going to go. My opinion, I think he’s bordering on close to being the greatest of all-time.”
“This win, hopefully we get by this one, and then one more, then I don’t know if there’s going to be any question who is the greatest fighter of all time. I think Islam Makhachev should be considered in that picture. My opinion.”
The official UFC 330 promo is below.
Mendez Expects Makhachev To Prove It In Philadelphia
Mendez did not frame the Garry fight like a formality. Garry is 17-1, has seven knockout wins, and enters his first UFC title shot after rebuilding from his only pro loss. Khabib Nurmagomedov has already warned that Garry’s size will make Makhachev chase him, while Charles Oliveira gave Garry a real chance because of his Chute Boxe work.
Mendez still expects Makhachev to handle the moment.
“It’s hard not to put him in that conversation. Look at all the records he holds. If he wins this one, which we can’t say we’re going to win 100 percent because nothing is 100 percent, Ian Garry is a tough customer, but I feel we’re going to win and I feel Islam’s going to dominate. But when that happens like I’m expecting, I’m expecting he’s going to be in that picture.”
“Everybody’s going to be saying that about him and they should rightfully so, and he would have proven it by his performance on Aug. 15. He’s going to prove it.”
The UFC’s official announcement for the title fight is here.
The Garry side of the matchup got respect from Mendez, even with all the confidence around Makhachev. Jorge Masvidal has already picked Makhachev by choke, and Michael Morales is set as the UFC 330 backup, but Mendez said the UFC made the right title-shot call.
He also pushed back on comparisons to the Khabib Nurmagomedov-Conor McGregor feud. Mendez said Garry and Ali Abdelaziz can build the fight, but he drew a clear line around country, family, and religion.
“Between Ian and Ali, it’s good to build the drama and make it interesting for the fans. Garry is doing all the right things and saying all the stuff to make the fight more interesting – without going overboard of course. Regardless of what is being said, they have to get in the cage and fight. I’m fine with trash talk. As long as it has nothing to do with the country, family or religion.”
“There are zero similarities to Conor vs Khabib. Unless Ian starts disrespecting family and religion or country, but I don’t see him doing that or Islam doing it either. It’s a fight between them and I feel like if they want to include me and Khabib that’s fine. We are fair game, we are trainers and part of the team. They should leave everyone else alone though.”
“I’ll tell you, I’m impressed with him. I’m very impressed with him. If we’re realistic and being honest, I thought [Jack Della Maddalena] was our toughest guy for Islam to have fought, but after watching Ian Garry, he is actually quicker and just a little bit better all the way around. He’s a tough challenge. We can’t overlook him at all. I know Islam is not going to [overlook him] because he never does.”
“Islam’s going to do what he does best, which is outwork the individual where he needs to.”
“But Ian Garry is a serious contender. I think he’s more well-rounded than Michael [Morales]. I think he’s more well-rounded than Carlos Prates. But those guys are all in the picture. They’re all in the picture. But I think Ian Garry is the deserved guy.”
How Mendez Frames Garry’s Tools
Mendez did not give away a single tactical lane. He framed the matchup around adjustments, then pointed to Makhachev’s all-around game as the reason his camp can wait for Garry to show them the first layer.
“We will have to see on the night. We can always have it in our head what we’re going to do but if suddenly the plans change and we can accomplish what we said we are going to do, then what? We have to see what he gives us and then take it from there. We have planned for everything we have to. The good thing about Islam is that he is good at everything. Kicking, boxing, defense, offense, grappling and submissions – you name it, he has got it. We’re prepared for everything.”
“Let’s see how well he can stand with us and how well he can stay off the ground with us as well. We’re going to have to test it all.”
He also named Garry’s mental game as one of the challenger’s real strengths.
“Ian Garry’s mental game is huge. That’s what my book is about. It is all about mental strength and how you can do anything with mental strength if done right. Proper planning and execution with the right formula. It can’t just be, ‘I can beat Gorillas but I am a little ant,’ it’s impossible. You have to be realistic. Realistic expectations create real results.”
Mendez also gave a round-by-round prediction for the title fight, while explaining why he avoids calling an early finish even for one of the sport’s most dominant champions.
“The fight will go the full five rounds. We will win all five rounds. That will never change – never. I’m not doing my fighter justice by putting something that is not realistic in my mind.”
“It’s not to say that Islam can’t finish the fight earlier, but I just don’t want to do that. Look at what happened to Ilia Topuria. He predicted all types of outcomes for his fight and the next thing we know, he is sitting there with a broken orbital bone and is bleeding everywhere.”
“That’s the way I like to get my fighters to think. You can’t think every fight’s going to be easy. They’re not. If you think they’re all going to be hard, and you train for them like they’re super, super hard, maybe you’ll make it easy because you trained for them.”
The Record Chase Behind The GOAT Argument
The cleanest path for Makhachev is not just beating Garry. It is stacking defenses at 170 pounds the way he did at lightweight. The UFC athlete page lists him with five knockout wins and 13 submission wins, which tracks with why Mendez talks about him less like a specialist and more like a complete problem.
“That’s the goal always for Islam to go out and do what he does best. What he does best, he’s a coach’s dream. He’s low maintenance and easily dictates how he should fight.”
“He’s going to listen to Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. He’s going to listen to me. He’s going to listen to all the coaches. He’s always been that person. He’s never been that person. He never does what he wants. He does what the coaches want. Because usually he knows it’s the right thing. We have a great fighter on our hands, and he’s just going to become greater and greater.”
That is why Mendez did not jump straight to middleweight when asked about a possible third UFC belt. He said Makhachev should establish himself at 170 pounds first, even if he would back the fighter if Makhachev pushed for another division.
“I think he should clear out the division, I think that’s what Islam wants. but if Islam says, no, I want a Triple Crown, then I’m going to go with him. I’m always going to go with what the fighter wants. If the fighter wants that, then that’s what I want.”
“For a welterweight, he’s not the bigger welterweight, but he’s not the smaller either. For a middleweight, he’d be a smaller middleweight, so I don’t know. He’d have to put on another 10 pounds of muscle.”
“There’s no point in even thinking about it. We need to focus on the welterweight division and dominate there and get used to it. That’s what I think. He may think differently, though.”
Mendez also mentioned Max Holloway as a stylistic fight that depends almost entirely on whether Makhachev can force the grappling phase.
“Well, it’s not disrespectful, because stylistically Max is not a hard fight for us, if we can implement what we want to do, which is take him to the ground. If we decide we’re not going to take him to the ground then I think everybody’s going to be in for a shock, because on the stand-up, Max is formidable with anybody.”
Makhachev’s UFC 330 assignment now sits in two lanes at once. Garry is trying to become Ireland’s second UFC champion, Morales is waiting as the standby option, and Makhachev is trying to turn a first welterweight defense into the next hard marker in a career already built across two divisions.
