Former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov commented on the potential fight between UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry in an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net.
"Garry is a strong athlete. If Rakhmonov hadn't taken him down in the third round when the Kazakh fighter had a beaten leg, Shavkat would have definitely lost. Ian won against Muhammad, and now the Irishman has a decent track record. His opposition speaks for itself.
Garry is tall, awkward. He has good grappling skills and striking technique, but he also seems like a favorable opponent for Makhachev. Islam will surpass the Irishman in wrestling. It will all end with one takedown. But it's still hard to speculate because Makhachev only recently moved up to welterweight. And there are many sharks in that division; all the fighters in the top 10 are strong.
"Islam won against everyone at lightweight, but by moving to the welterweight division, he has stepped up to another level. There are tough guys at 77 kg that Makhachev still has to fight," Koreshkov said.
In the co-main event of the UFC tournament in Qatar, Garry defeated former promotion champion Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision. Following the updated rankings, the Irish fighter will enter the top 3 at 77 kg. Garry's record stands at 17 wins and one loss.
Makhachev became the UFC welterweight champion after defeating Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision at UFC 322. The Russian fighter's record is 28 wins and one loss.
