Ian Machado Garry’s physical advantage over Islam Makhachev has become a major talking point ahead of their UFC 330 title fight, and a second faceoff appears to have added fuel to the debate.
“The Future” challenges Makhachev for the welterweight championship Saturday in the UFC 330 main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The Irishman has spent his entire UFC career competing at 170 pounds, while Makhachev only moved up to welterweight last year after ruling the lightweight division.
The difference in size has been heavily debated throughout fight week. The conversation intensified after their first faceoff near Philadelphia’s famous Rocky statue, where Garry surprisingly did not appear significantly larger than Makhachev. The champion even joked that he needed to have his height checked again.
Garry suggested that footwear may have played a role in the apparent lack of a size difference, and Thursday’s second faceoff seemingly gave his explanation some credibility. This time, Garry looked noticeably bigger than the reigning champion, particularly in terms of height and overall frame.
The numbers certainly support the argument. Makhachev stands at 5-foot-10 with a 70.5-inch reach, according to his UFC record, while Garry is listed at 6-foot-3 with a 74.5-inch reach. That gives “The Future” a five-inch height advantage and a four-inch reach advantage heading into the biggest fight of his career.
Makhachev enters UFC 330 with a 28-1 professional record and a 16-fight winning streak. His last appearance came in November 2025, when he defeated Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision at UFC 322 to capture the welterweight title.
Garry, meanwhile, is 17-1 and riding a two-fight winning streak. His most recent outing came against former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in November 2025, when he earned a unanimous decision victory. His lone professional defeat came against Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2024.
