Ian Machado Garry’s return to the cage on Saturday night may carry stakes that stretch well beyond his own UFC welterweight ambitions.
The 28-year-old contender, now aligned with Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn — a high-profile rival of UFC and ZUFFA Boxing figurehead Dana White — is preparing to share the octagon with two-division UFC champion Islam Makhachev this weekend.
If Garry can deliver a stunning upset in the UFC 330 main event, the result would resonate far beyond a single career-defining win.
A Garry victory would give Hearn two UFC champions under his promotional umbrella, a development that would almost certainly raise eyebrows inside the UFC’s power structure.
Hearn had already added UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, 33, to his roster in what was viewed as a retaliatory move after White lured longtime Matchroom boxer Conor Benn, 29, into the ZUFFA Boxing fold.
Benn made an immediate impression by winning his ZUFFA Boxing debut against Regis Prograis in April, and he is now booked for a blockbuster showdown with divisive boxing star Ryan Garcia, 28, on September 12.
Top UFC welterweight Ian Machado Garry is scheduled to step back into the octagon on Saturday night
Garry will take on two-division UFC champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 330
Now, it’s Garry’s turn to bolster Hearn’s revenge. If Garry beats Makhachev tomorrow, it would soothe much of the pain the Matchroom chief felt when he lost Benn to White earlier this year.
It would also give Hearn some momentum towards finally booking a Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall rematch – a fight that could be set amongst the scenic views of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Garry understands on many levels what a win over the current world’s pound-for-pound number one fighter would do not only for his career, but also for the growth of his brand in the Europe market which is controlled and operated by Hearn and his sports agency team.
‘For me, it was an absolute no-brainer,’ the Irish fighter said of the partnership. ‘As someone who grew up in Ireland and is living in England right now, when you talk about the biggest sports promoter in our region, it is Eddie Hearn, it is Matchroom, and they’ve been successful at it for God knows how long at this point.’
When it comes to working with Hearn it’s more than just about money and opportunity for Garry, it’s about respecting the person you are conducting business with.
‘I love [the Hearn’s] family bond. I love Eddie’s relationship with his dad. I love how they work. We’ve known their team for a while,’ he said.
Garry can’t deny Matchroom’s generational success, and the effect they’ve had on the European market.
‘[Signing with Matchroom] was the right decision at the right time to help grow my brand, grow my name and do it together so that we can bring more eyes to all of my fights,’ he added. ‘We can bring more attention to when I compete and that’s my focus.’
The Irish fighter is signed with Matchroom Chairman Eddie Hearn’s agency
UFC 330 will take place inside the Xinity Arena located in the heart of Rocky’s hometown – Philadelphia.
Garry is facing a swift and technical champion in Dagestan’s Makhachev – a longtime teammate of all-time great fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.
For Makhachev, after moving up from the lightweight division, the New Jersey-living grappling phenom and all-time great is attempting to achieve UFC history by winning 17-straight fights inside of the octagon for his first title defense at 170-pounds.
Both men aim to outthink and outwill the other in what has the makings to be one of the most competitive fights of the year, even though Garry is a major underdog despite his incredible performances over the division’s two bogeymen, Carlos Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Will Garry get the upset and become the newly crowned champ or will Makhachev have his way with the elusive striker and enforce his vice grip squeeze?
Hearn will likely be saying an extra prayer for his guy to shock the world and swipe out one of White’s bishops.
