Ian Machado Garry Wants Makhachev Rematch: 'I Beat Him Right Now'

Ian Machado Garry left Philadelphia in August with the first real setback of his career, dropping a decision to Islam Makhachev in the UFC 330 welterweight title fight. But the Irishman isn't treating it like a career-defining loss. He's treating it like unfinished business, telling DAZN he believes a rematch tomorrow would flip the result.

Machado Garry sits at 17-2 (7 KO, 1 SUB) and holds the No. 1 spot in a stacked 170-pound division. Makhachev, the pound-for-pound king who moved up from lightweight to claim the belt, is now 29-1 with a frightening 13 career submissions. That skill set is exactly what makes the Irishman's confidence so notable — he wants the exact same problem again, as soon as possible.

What He'd Change

Garry was candid about where the fight got away from him. He said the biggest thing missing was volume — more kicks, more of his own game, more venom on the shots to the head. His read is that he showed a champion too much respect, and standing across from a man who beats everyone in front of him makes it hard to open up. It's an honest diagnosis rather than a list of excuses.

That assessment lines up with the criticism from the top. Dana White wasn't thrilled with Garry's output, calling out a lack of urgency and a reluctance to genuinely hurt Makhachev. Garry, for his part, described himself as proud of the preparation and the effort, annoyed only by the result — the kind of thing, he noted, that comes with the fight game.

The Ask

Here's where it gets interesting. Garry says he'd take the rematch anytime, anywhere, against anyone, and that he'd walk back in tomorrow if the phone rang. Ten years at the top level, beating the baddest men on the planet — that's the plan he laid out, and he's not backing off it after one loss.

The math is complicated by how loaded welterweight is right now. Garry may sit at No. 1, but a title rematch isn't automatic when there's a line of contenders and Makhachev only just arrived with the belt. What's clear is that Garry has no intention of drifting down the rankings. He wants to stay in the championship conversation, and he wants back in the cage before anyone has time to forget his name.