Ian Machado Garry claims his strength of schedule trumps UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev's.
Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) challenges Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 330 (Paramount+) main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Machado Garry earned his title shot by scoring back-to-back wins over Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad.
"If you look at the people we've fought, if you look at my last five opponents vs. Islam's last five opponents, in my opinion, it's not a discussion whose are more difficult," Machado Garry told ESPN MMA. "When you look at who I've fought: Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Carlos Prates, MVP (Page), those four are four of the trickiest fighters on the planet. All
of them present real, real danger. When you look at JDM (Della Maddalena), Renato Moicano, Dustin Poirier, and Volkanovski, if I'm correct – as much as Volkanovski is a legend of the sport, and Dustin Poirier is a legend of the sport, they're not as dangerous as the guys I've just mentioned.
"Not only that, every single one of them is bigger, longer. Shavkat was 18-0 and 18 finishes when I fought him. He had like 10 knockouts and eight submissions. Carlos Prates had an 11-fight win streak by knockouts when I fought him. I've been fighting the highest level of MMA fights against the toughest opponents. When I step into this octagon against Islam Makhachev, I'm going to prove to the world why Ian Machado is truly great."
Makhachev, who will look to break the UFC record for most consecutive victories, is a big favorite over Machado Garry.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ian Machado Garry argues he's faced tougher competition than Islam Makhachev
