Islam Makhachev ignores Carlos Prates and indicates a possible opponent for the UFC belt.

Islam makhachev He holds titles in two UFC weight classes. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

PUBLICITY:

Islam makhachevIt seems that [the fighter] has already decided who his next opponent should be in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The Russian, who won the welterweight title (up to 77 kg) by dominating [the fight]. Jack Della Maddalena At UFC 322, he began dealing with a queue of potential title challengers. Among the names being considered, the champion points out... Ian Gary as the leading candidate.

In an interview with TNT Sports, Makhachev indicated that he intends to return in August and guaranteed that he will be ready for the date. The champion acknowledged the presence of several contenders in the division, but highlighted Garry as the number one contender in the race for the belt. Despite this, he made it clear that he does not intend to make things easy for any of the interested parties.

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"I'll be ready in August. Many challenges, but number 1 is..." Ian Gary "And we still have a few more who want to take the belt, but I'm not giving it to anyone," he said. Islam makhachev.

With 28 wins and only one loss in his career, Makhachev is rapidly establishing himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time. The Russian has six title fight victories and has won 62% of his bouts by stoppage.

Fueled by victories over Carlos Prates e Belal Muhammad |Garry emerged as the main challenger for the welterweight title. Besides the Irishman, names like... Kamaru Usman, MichaelMorales, Shavkat Rakhmonov and even Ilia Topuria They also appeared as possible candidates to face the Dagestani fighter.

With his sights set on Islam Makhachev, Ian Garry traveled to improve his grappling skills.

Ian Gary He's been training in Georgia. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

PUBLICITY:

Even before the confrontation with Islam Makahchev was announced Ian Gary He had already started preparing. The Irishman went in search of reinforcements in grappling to face the Russian and drew attention on social media by sharing a trip to Georgia, a country with strong wrestling traditions.

Ian Gary is heading to Tbilisi, Georgia 🇬🇪 pic.twitter.com/70kYW0FwXQ

— UFCStats💭 (@TheUFCStats) February 15, 2026