The top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, puts his title on the line in the UFC 330 main event against No. 2 ranked contender Ian Machado Garry.
It will be Makhachev’s first title defense and heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes it will be one of his toughest tests to date.
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“I think this is going to be Islam’ toughest fight that we’ve seen recently,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “I think stylistically, Ian Garry is a pretty bad matchup for him to be honest.
“He’s long, rangy, moves really well. You don’t often see him getting taken down and held there. Super tall, super like elusive, elite striking, judges the distance really well. He’s young, he’s fresh, he’s not had, you know, loads of damage or anything like that. He’s not got a lot of miles on the clock.”
While Garry may present unique challenges to the champion, Aspinall still predicted that Makhachev will retain his title at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
“But we’re talking about Islam Makhachev, mate. In my opinion, pound for pound No. 1 in the argument at the minute for that. Once he gets ahold of you, you done. That head kick.”
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“Again, we’re talking about Islam Makhachev. He’s getting a little bit older now, but he’s still in his prime. He’s definitely still in his prime.
“I think it’s tough fight. I do think it’s a tough fight for both guys. But I can’t think at any point that Islam is going to lose.”
