Ian Machado Garry explains why he doesn’t want early KO against Islam Makhachev: “My ideal scenario”

Ian Machado Garry is not in search of an early finish when steps inside the Octagon with Islam Makhachev.

Garry is scheduled to challenge Makhachev for the UFC Welterweight Championship on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia. This will be “The Future’s” first opportunity at UFC gold, and he insists he’ll make the most of it. Makhachev has emerged as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA today, and he’s hoping to secure his first successful welterweight title defense.

It was announced recently that Garry signed a talent agency deal with Matchroom. The agency’s Instagram page has posted a clip of the 170-pound challenger explaining why he doesn’t wish to knock Makhachev out early in the UFC 330 main event (via MMAJunkie).

“My ideal scenario? I want a fourth-round finish,” Garry said. “I don’t want any early knockout because then there’s ifs, buts, maybes. ‘Ah, there’s excuses.’ I want four rounds of domination. And in that fourth round, I’m going to tell everybody: I’m going to do it now. And then I’m going to go in there and finish him.

“I’m going to open the door, I’m going to walk him into my traps, and I’m going to take his head clean off his shoulders.”

Garry hasn’t scored a finish since May 2023. He earned a first-round TKO win over Daniel Rodriguez with a head kick and some follow-up punches. Since then, Garry has gone 5-1 with all six fights going the distance.

You’ll have to go all the way back to 2015 to find the lone defeat of Makhachev’s career. It was a knockout loss to Adriano Martins in the opening frame. Makhachev has been on a legendary run since that time, going 16-0 and capturing UFC gold at lightweight and welterweight.

Any chance Islam Makhachev gets knocked out by Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, or do you see this one going all five rounds? Let us know in the comments below.