Islam Makhachev’s coach backs Ian Garry’s No. 1 UFC ranking after loss

Islam Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, has nothing but praise for Ian Garry.

Makhachev (29-1) put his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line against Garry (17-2) at UFC 330 in Philadelphia. The challenger pushed the champ to the limit, stuffing multiple takedown and submission attempts, but ultimately lost via decision.

Ian Garry earns praise from Islam Makhachev’s coach after pushing the champion at UFC 330
While Makhachev was able to take Garry down, he wasn’t able to control the Irishman as he did against his previous opponents. Makhachev even missed several takedown attempts altogether. Furthermore, Garry showed no signs of fatigue throughout the bout and appeared to be the fresher fighter the deeper the fight went, while the champion’s face was heavily bruised.

Mendez was impressed with Garry’s valiant display and believes the former Cage Warriors champ should remain the No. 1 welterweight contender on the UFC’s official’s rankings after his performance against Makhachev.

“Ian Garry came in to demonstrate how tough he was, how deserving he is of the No. 1 spot and he proved his point,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “He’s the No. 1 contender for a reason and he probably should stay No. 1 contender after this performance, in my opinion.”

Makhachev is targeting Carlos Prates for his next title defense, with the unbeaten Michael Morales, who weighed in as a backup at UFC 330, also in contention.