Ian Machado Garry sees himself as the biggest underdog ever as a title challenger – even though the odds suggest otherwise.
Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) challenges welterweight champion Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia (Paramount+).
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According to FanDuel, Makhachev is a -390 favorite over Machado Garry, who’s a +280 underdog. There have been far bigger underdogs as title challengers, but with Makhachev being a former dual-champion and looking to break the UFC record for longest active win streak, Machado Garry says he faces an uphill battle.
“This is the fight I’ve been begging for,” Machado Garry said on his Instagram. “This is the fight I’ve deserved, I’ve earned against the toughest task. There is no tougher challenge. You cannot name me a fighter right now in recent history who has tried to come up and competed against this level of champion: a two-weight world champion on a record-setting unbeaten streak in the UFC, the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the planet. It’s the toughest challenge for a challenger to become the champion ever, and I thrive off that excitement.”
Machado Garry earned his title opportunity by scoring back-to-back wins over top contender Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ian Machado Garry: Islam Makhachev represents toughest UFC title challenge ever
