‘Toughest task in UFC history’ – Ian Machado Garry says UFC 330 win over Islam Makhachev will make him ‘UNDENIABLE’ GOAT

IAN MACHADO GARRY believes a win over Islam Makhachev will see him go down as a generational great. The Irishman is just hours away from challenging the sport’s pound-for-pound king for the welterweight title. Ian Machado Garry challenges for UFC welterweight gold in the early hours of the morning Credit: AP He’ll lock horns with pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 330 Credit: GETTY UFC 330 in Philadelphia will provide the backdrop for The Future’s potential emulation of countryman Conor McGregor by winning a belt in MMA‘s top promotion. But the 28-year-old will have to overcome the most dominant force in the sport at this moment in time to do that. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Makhachev, 34, made light work of Jack Della Maddalena in his welterweight bow last November. The suffocation shutout of JDM saw the Russian become a two-division champion and equal Anderson Silva‘s record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history. Makhachev, the protege of the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov, is undoubtedly at the peak of his powers. At this moment in time, the Dagestani destroyer has NO EQUAL. And it’s for that reason, along with all the southpaw’s other accolades, that Garry believes victory in the early hours of tomorrow morning will rank among the GREATEST in UFC history. In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: “I believe this is the toughest task for a challenger to challenge for the world title in UFC history. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Islam Makhachev is on the cusp of making yet more UFC history Credit: GETTY Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege is on the brink of breaking the record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history Credit: GETTY “When you say all those accolades, and you talk about how he’s the greatest lightweight champion of all time. “And [how] he moved up the weight division and secured the double-champ status. “He has tied the 16 consecutive win streak of Anderson Silva and, if he can possibly find a way to beat me on Saturday night, he breaks that record. “We are talking about an athlete, a man who is at the peak of his career. He is living at the top of that mountain right now. “When you beat that guy, there’s no arguments, there is no doubt, and it’ll be undeniable that Ian Machado Garry is one of the greatest fighters of this generation.” Beating Makhachev will see Garry fulfil a lifetime’s work and become only the second Irish fighter, McGregor being the first, to win UFC gold. Combat sports history is full of fighters treating their shot at gold as “just another fight”. Garry, however, is actively reminding himself of the magnitude of the moment which will soon be upon him. He said: “I absolutely think about it. If I don’t think about it, then I’m not respecting the severity of the occasion. Ian Machado Garry is relishing the prospect of slaying the UFC’s P4P king Credit: GETTY The Irishman reckons victory over Makhachev will be one of the biggest in UFC history Credit: GETTY “This is everything I’ve worked for; this is a decade of work. This is what my first amateur fight started. “A decade ago, when I entered the gym, this is where I wanted to get to. This is exactly the moment I’ve been looking for. “And every fight that I’ve won and every time I’ve stepped into the octagon and taken those risks against the best fighters on the planet to prove that I’m the best. “It’s put me where I am right now, sat here, two days out from the biggest fight of my life to prove forevermore that I will be a UFC champion.” Garry has adopted a “by any means necessary” approach ahead of the biggest fight of his career. But a small part of him will be disappointed if he doesn’t put away the P4P king. “I will get my hand raised,” he said. “But I would like to finish [him]. “Selfishly, as the fighter, as the person who I know I can be and I know what I can do in that octagon. “If I can finish Islam, it sends a statement to the rest of the world and the rest of the division that nobody can argue with.” Comment now