Ian Machado Garry has spent years fighting the weight of being labeled the next Conor McGregor, and now he is turning that comparison into fuel.
Ahead of his first UFC title shot, “The Future” is framing his welterweight championship bout with Islam Makhachev as the moment he cements a legacy of his own by replicating McGregor’s most iconic win.
Garry challenges Makhachev (c) for the UFC welterweight championship in the main event of UFC 330 on August 15, 2026, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
It is his first crack at a UFC belt, and BBC Sport reports he is set to become the first Irish fighter since McGregor to compete for a UFC title.
In recent comments carried by High Performance, Garry addressed the expectation that has followed him since his rise through the ranks as a fellow Dublin fighter.
I’ve had a lot of pressure from the outside world, from the fans and the sport itself, to be this star, to live up to the hype that Conor McGregor set being from Dublin, Ireland,” Garry said.
Chasing His Own 13-Second Legend
Garry drew a direct line between his shot at Makhachev and McGregor’s 2015 featherweight title win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194, when McGregor knocked out the pound-for-pound great in 13 seconds. The 28-year-old sees the same kind of statement waiting for him.
When Conor fought for his first UFC title, he fought the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, who hadn’t been beaten in a decade, and Conor knocked him out in 13 seconds,” Garry said. “I cannot wait to step into the octagon against Islam Makhachev and beat him because there will be no doubt that I have done it again against the best.
The challenge in front of him is steep. Makhachev enters at 28-1 (17-1 UFC) and will make his first welterweight title defense, while Garry brings a 17-1 mark (10-1 in the UFC) as the division’s No. 1 ranked contender. Garry has already laid out a game plan built toward a fourth-round finish rather than a quick knockout, and he has vowed to be the man who stops Makhachev’s run.
McGregor Sends His Blessing
McGregor, for his part, has thrown his support behind Garry. Speaking at the UFC 329 post-fight press conference earlier this month, ‘The Notorious’ offered a short message before the title bout.
The Machado fella, I wish him well. I hope we do it. Go for Ireland,” McGregor said.
McGregor even floated the idea of facing his countryman for the welterweight belt should Garry dethrone Makhachev, calling it “no problem.”
That scenario remains distant. McGregor’s comeback bout against Max Holloway ended in a first-minute TKO due to injury, and he is expected to be sidelined for nine to 12 months.
UFC 330 is structured as a championship double-header, with Mackenzie Dern facing Gillian Robertson for the strawweight title in the co-main event. For Garry, who enters as a betting underdog, beating the pound-for-pound king would settle every McGregor comparison in one night.
