Brown says Garry faces ‘wrong guy at wrong time’ in UFC 330 title bout

Ian Machado Garry will challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title on Saturday, marking Garry’s first opportunity to fight for a championship. Makhachev enters the bout on a 16-fight winning streak and is ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound, making him a heavy favorite.

Former UFC welterweight Matt Brown said Garry possesses the skills to become a champion but faces an unfavorable matchup. > “He is an extremely skilled guy. I think he’s got championship material in him… He’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had he got a fight with Jack Della Maddalena, I think it would be a 50/50 fight. But here’s Islam Makhachev, the wrong guy at the wrong time.”

Brown explained that Garry’s path to victory would require neutralizing Makhachev’s takedowns and either out-pointing him over five rounds or landing a decisive strike, despite Garry’s limited knockout power. > “He’s got to stop his takedowns… then somehow win on points on the feet or land some big shots… it’s not like it couldn’t happen.”

He added that Makhachev’s wrestling pedigree makes it difficult for any opponent to stay off the ground for the entire fight, and a single mistake on the mat could end Garry’s chances. > “When you have someone at the level of Islam and his wrestling, it’s just hard to imagine someone is going to catch up to that unless they’ve been wrestling their whole life.”

While acknowledging that Makhachev is not primarily a striker, Brown noted the champion can handle exchanges and may exploit Garry’s reliance on decisions rather than knockout power. He concluded that Garry would need a flawless performance, whereas Makhachev can win by capitalizing on any error.

“Islam can make some mistakes, but Ian really can’t. He can’t really make mistakes. Because Islam will capitalize on those mistakes. He has to fight the perfect fight. Islam doesn’t really have to fight the perfect fight. He’s just got to fight his fight.”