6 days ago
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Ian Machado Garry says he has the opportunity to make everyone else in the UFC's welterweight division "irrelevant" when he faces Belal Muhammad in Qatar on Saturday.
The Irishman, who is ranked sixth, faces second-ranked American Muhammad in a bout which could determine the number one contender to face welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev dominated Jack Della Maddalena to win the belt at UFC 322 last week on a card where a number of fellow welterweights put themselves in the spotlight.
Brazil's Carlos Prates knocked out Britain's former champion Leon Edwards, while Ecuador's Michael Morales stopped American Sean Brady in equally impressive fashion.
"I want to make one thing clear. Everyone in this room, every interview I've done this week, they're all asking about people from last week," said Machado Garry.
"This week, when I knock out Belal Muhammad, I make every other person in the welterweight division irrelevant. I am going to cement myself as the number one contender.
"Islam Makhachev, get ready, I'll see you soon. Wherever and whenever you want, we're next."
A win for the 28-year-old Machado Garry over former champion Muhammad, 37, will undoubtedly thrust his name into the conversation surrounding Makhachev's next challenger, but he may have to do something special to get the nod.
Prates' straight left which downed Edwards provided the social media highlight of the card in a victory which saw him move up to fifth in the welterweight rankings.
Morales, meanwhile, outclassed Brady on the feet before dealing the fight-ending combination which saw him extend his unbeaten record to 19 and move up to third in the rankings.
Shavkat Rakhmonov, meanwhile, who is ranked four and beat Machado Garry last December, has finished six of his seven UFC opponents, but the Kazakhstan fighter is currently out injured.
Fighters who finish opponents are often prioritised for title bouts because they are deemed more exciting to watch and that generates more viewers and more money for the UFC.
Prates (100%), Rakhmonov (86%) and Morales (71%) all have higher finish rates than Machado Garry (33%) in the UFC, but he is confident of convincing matchmakers he deserves to be next.
"It's about me being the best and most interesting," added Machado Garry. "The guys did a great job last week, however, I am the deciding factor in what happens to the rest of the division.
"My entire goal this weekend is to go out there and leave it undoubted, and unquestionable and undeniable that Ian Machado Gary is the best welterweight walking the planet right now."
After his win over Della Maddalena, Makhachev, 34, has called for a title fight with former champion Kamaru Usman.
The 38-year-old Nigerian, who beat Joaquin Edwards in June, is eighth in the welterweight rankings, one place above Edwards.
Machado Garry argues the division has moved on, and Makhachev should be targeting younger fighters like himself, Prates and Morales rather than "has-beens".
"If I were Islam I'd want to fight Usman too, because it's an easy fight, an easy pay cheque and a first title defence," he added.
"That, for me, is a cop-out. Fight one of the up and comers, guys that are hungry, that have not felt like what it's like to be a champion, that are driven to achieve their dreams."
Two team-mates of British lightweight Paddy Pimblett are set to make their UFC debuts on the undercard.
Liverpool's Luke Riley, who has won the first 11 fights of his career, takes on Austria's Bogdan Grad at featherweight.
Fellow Liverpudlian Shem Rock, meanwhile, faces Tajikistan's Nurullo Aliev at lightweight.
Pimblett, who is fifth in the UFC's lightweight rankings, has travelled with the pair and is set to corner them for their bouts in Doha.
It is likely he will cross paths with lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, whose brother Aleksandre also fights on the undercard.
