Islam Makhachev tapped out Charles Oliveira to kick off his UFC lightweight reign in 2022, and “do Bronx’s” teammate Ian Machado Garry will enter the octagon on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia to try to end his unbeaten streak and capture the welterweight title at UFC 330.
Garry earned a shot at the 170-pound belt after beating former champion Belal Muhammad in November 2025, and Oliveira said that he’s been training for Makhachev since then.
“He knew he was next in line for the title,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting.
“And he’s been completely focused on this matchup with Makhachev ever since.”
Makhachev has the chance to break the record for longest winning streak in UFC history at UFC 331, surpassing Anderson Silva with 17 in a row, and Garry can derail that. The Russian talent beat all-time greats in Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier, and Oliveira at 155 pounds before reaching the welterweight throne with a win over Jack Della Maddalena a week before Garry beat Muhammad, and Oliveira sees the key for his victory in Philadelphia.
“Ian truly has a very good chance of beating Makhachev,” Oliveira said. “I’m not saying that because he’s my friend or because he’s part of our team, but because of what we’ve seen and how he’s been training.
“We know there’s an incredibly tough guy on the other side, someone who deserves all the respect in the world. He’s humble when promoting a fight, but he’s extremely difficult to deal with inside the cage. He’s outstanding, a really tough fighter. But honestly, in my opinion, Ian has a great chance of winning, because he’s such a strategic fighter and never abandons the game plan.”
Oliveira and his Chute Boxe coaches in Sao Paulo built a camp for Makhachev in the past, and the UFC star believes that all that knowledge has come to hand when assisting Garry in his preparation.
“Whether you win or lose, once you’ve shared the cage with someone, you come away with certain insights,” Oliveira said. “And especially by watching fights. Ian is a very strategic guy, he studies a lot. Ian brings a lot to the table. We also contribute a lot, and the team is constantly talking, ‘What do you think about this, about that?’ Honestly, Ian is very well prepared.
“He’s really happy to have this opportunity to fight for the title. And I think the most important thing is that, ever since he won his last fight, Ian already knew he was next. He already knew who his opponent was going to be. So Ian didn’t just start this training camp now, he’s been in camp and focused on this fight for a long time already. Ian keeps getting better every day. He’s happier. He understands the opportunity in front of him. He knows the weapons he has, and he knows the quality of his jiu-jitsu.”
“The difference with Ian is his intelligence,” he continued. “He never strays from the strategy. Whatever the team plans together with him for the fight, he’ll follow it from start to finish. That’s what sets Ian apart. Once he commits the game plan to his mind, he’ll stick with it all the way through. He won’t change it. That’s the difference Ian brings into the game, into the cage. That’s what makes us happy, because he never drifts away from the plan or loses focus. He gives himself to it 100%. He sticks to the strategy no matter what’s happening, so I think it’s going to be a great fight.”
