Ian Machado Garry compared himself to McGregor. He pointed out the similarity ahead of his fight with Makhachev

Ian Machado Garry believes that his upcoming UFC title fight has a lot in common with Conor McGregor’s historic bout against Jose Aldo. The Irishman admitted that he sees similarities between his path to the title fight and the one “The Notorious” took years ago.

On August 15, Garry will have his first chance to win a UFC championship belt. At UFC 330 in Philadelphia, he will face welterweight champion Islam Makhachev. “The Future” has long argued that he deserved a title shot, and his victories over Belal Muhammad, Carlos Prates, and Michael Page have finally earned him the opportunity he’s been seeking.

However, the Irishman faces an extremely difficult challenge. Makhachev is currently the top-ranked fighter across all weight classes and has remained undefeated since 2015. The Russian holds championship belts in two weight classes and is already considered by many to be a future member of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Garry: “My opponent is number one, too.”

In an interview with High Performance, Ian Machado Garry addressed the comparisons to Conor McGregor that have long been circulating among fans and the media. As he admitted, ever since the start of his career, he has had to deal with expectations stemming from the fact that, like “The Notorious,” he is from Ireland.

– From the very beginning, I’ve been under pressure from fans and the entire MMA world to become a star on par with Conor McGregor. They constantly compare me to him just because we’re both Irish.

Garry pointed out that the circumstances surrounding his first title fight resemble those from nearly a decade ago, when McGregor faced Jose Aldo.

– When Conor was fighting for his first UFC title, he faced the number-one-ranked fighter across all weight classes—a fighter who hadn’t lost in ten years—and knocked him out in 13 seconds. My next opponent is also the number one fighter in the overall rankings.

Although bookmakers are clearly favoring Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 330, Garry remains confident. The Irishman believes that, just as McGregor did years ago, he will be able to pull off a huge upset and win the championship title.