Ian Machado Garry has given his opinion on who should fight whom next in the UFC welterweight division. Garry recently moved up to the No. 2 spot on the 170-pound list after his former opponent, Shavkat Rakhmonov, was removed from the rankings.
‘The Future,’ who suffered his lone MMA loss in 2024 to ‘Nomad,’ bounced back in 2025 and won on short notice against Carlos Prates. After that, he beat Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar. Garry has now set his sights on the welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev.
Other than the Irishman, Kamaru Usman, Michael Morales, and Carlos Prates have also shown interest in fighting for the title next.
Makhachev, on the other hand, is interested in fighting ‘The Nigerian Nightmare,’ as he believes the latter to be his hardest challenge in this new weight class.
Ian Machado Garry, however, has more intriguing matchups in mind.
Ian Machado Garry Proposes Three Potential Matchups to Get the UFC Welterweight Division Rolling
In a recent Instagram video, Ian Machado Garry suggested three potential matchups in the UFC welterweight division with proper reasoning, keeping himself at the top of the title picture. He said:
“Everybody has an opinion on who should fight who next in the welterweight division. Here’s mine.”
1) Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales
“Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales because they are two power heavy hitters, and I want to see who comes out on top. I doubt Morales would take it because the truth is Carlos Prates hits harder.”
2) Jack Della Maddalena vs. Kamaru Usman
The Irishman added:
“I kind of want to see Carlos [Prates] and JDM too, but I am going to watch Jack Della Maddalena vs. Kamaru Usman. I want to see if Jack can stop the takedown. Has he learned? Can he get better? Can he evolve, and [does] Kamaru still have the gear to beat a young prospect?”
3) Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry
Finally, announcing with confidence that he is Islam Makhachev’s next opponent, Garry added:
“And finally, the world title fight at welterweight. I want to see the champion, Islam Makhachev, defend his belt against the number one contender in the world, Ian Machado Garry. I am next.”
Check out Ian Machado Garry’s comments below: