‘The Future’ Seemingly Confirms His Next Fight for the UFC Welterweight Title

This past Tuesday, the second-ranked UFC Welterweight, Ian Machado Garry, made it apparent on X that he would be fighting Islam Makhachev for the belt this upcoming August. In his post, Garry replies to a tweet where Makhachev was sharing his side of the story related to the alleged Ilia Topuria fight situation that fans theorized would be held at the White House this summer. The current Welterweight champ tweeted Monday night that he had originally accepted a fight with ‘El Matador’ at the White House when first called; however, the latter then pulled out the next day when the UFC disapproved of the compensation he had asked for. After Makhachev cleared his name, Garry took the opportunity to point out some interesting revelations that differed from prior claims from the champ’s team, suggesting that Makhachev’s hurt hand is now healed and that there should be no more excuses when they see each other in August.

Dana White had previously announced in late March that Makhachev was dealing with a lingering hand injury that was keeping him from action. After all the viral exchanges on X, Garry presents the idea that the Dagestani fighter was prepared to be ready sooner rather than later, ever since he allegedly accepted a fight in June against Topuria. Regardless of all the claims being thrown around, there seemed to be an established Welterweight bout between Makhachev and Garry in August that has yet to be announced. If it holds true, then UFC fans could see an exciting fight with multiple styles on display.

The Irish fighter currently sits at 17-1 and has been very dominant thus far during his four-year tenure in the UFC. Even though Garry is a proven striker, he is also not one to shy away from the ground and has demonstrated that he can dominate fighters in the grappling department. However, Garry is set to face one of the most skilled and decorated UFC champions of all time in Islam Makhachev, who has completely dismantled his opponents on the ground, as seen in his last fight with Jack Della Maddalena. The keys to victory for Garry are simple: establish great takedown defense and keep the distance when striking. The Irish fighter has a lot more reach than Makhachev, so he has to rely on his length to potentially come out with a win. Even if the fight has not been announced, it is safe to assume that Garry deserves the next title shot, given his resume so far in the UFC.