Islam Makhachev has added his name to a part of the welterweight history books that includes Georges St-Pierre.
Saturday’s UFC 322 pay-per-view went well for the Dagestani star, who moved up from lightweight and captured the 170-pound title on his first attempt.
The win made Makhachev the eleventh fighter in UFC history to hold belts in two different weight classes. He secured that milestone by controlling Jack Della Maddalena from start to finish at Madison Square Garden.
Some fans are already putting Makhachev in the GOAT conversation, but one top welterweight contender is not ready to put him above St-Pierre just yet.
Ian Machado Garry picks Georges St-Pierre over Islam Makhachev
Makhachev’s performance in New York was dominant, showing he has not lost a step since moving up to welterweight. Even so, Ian Machado Garry is not convinced he would beat Georges St-Pierre at 170 pounds.
The fantasy matchup came up during a ‘winner stays on’ segment with TNT Sports ahead of UFC Qatar, where Garry and Belal Muhammad are set for a co-main event showdown.
To reach the hypothetical clash with St-Pierre, Garry picked Muhammad over Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards, and Sean Brady.
He then backed Shavkat Rakhmonov to beat Muhammad, but picked himself against the unbeaten Kazakh contender.
Garry then stayed on through Stephen Thompson, Robbie Lawler, Rory MacDonald, Della Maddalena again, Kamaru Usman and Matt Hughes before arriving at St-Pierre, when he stated: “I’ll give that one to GSP out of respect right now. But that’s the fight I wish I could have.”
The game ended with GSP’s victory over Makhachev.
Ian Machado Garry pushes back against Islam Makhachev’s callout of Kamaru Usman
After capturing the welterweight title in his debut at 170 pounds, Makhachev did not waste any time declaring who he wanted next. The former lightweight champion set his sights on a bout with Kamaru Usman for his first title defence.
However, many have questioned that choice given that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has only defeated Joaquin Buckley since losing the belt more than three years ago.
As he prepares to make his case for a shot at UFC Qatar, Garry is among those pushing back against Makhachev’s plan.
He said: “I believe I am the deciding factor in what happens for the rest of the division
“He’s calling out Kamaru Usman, that’s a has been, someone that used to be, not is right now. When you’ve got the likes of me, (Michael) Morales, (Carlos) Prates contending to be the next best thing in this division, there’s no question.
“When I knock out Belal this weekend, I’m the number one contender and the right thing to do for Islam is to defend the belt against me,” Garry concluded.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
