Islam Makhachev promises a spectacular victory. “I want to finish him off.”

Islam Makhachev isn’t planning to settle for just a win at UFC 330. The welterweight champion says that in his first title defense, he’ll do everything he can to finish his fight against Ian Machado Garry before the final bell.

On August 15, the Dagestani fighter will make his first title defense in the welterweight division. In the main event of UFC 330, he’ll face off against Ian Machado Garry. Bookmakers have no doubt who the favorite is in this matchup, but Makhachev himself emphasizes that he’s not solely interested in winning on the scorecards.

Makhachev is aiming for his first finish against Garry

In an interview with MMA Junkie, the UFC champion revealed that this time he intends to fight much more aggressively than he did in his previous bout. As he admitted, he’s hoping that his very first takedown will pave the way for a victory before the final bell.

– In this fight, I’ll take bigger risks to finish my opponent, because that’s exactly what I like to do. I honestly believe that from the very first takedown, I’ll have a chance to end this bout. “I’ve seen his ground game, and it’s not very good. He has a very good stand-up game, long arms, great distance control, and he often backs off, but once I take the fight to the mat, it’ll be over,” Makhachev announced.

If the Dagestani fighter lives up to his promises, he will be the first fighter to end his bout with Garry before the final bell. The Irishman has never been knocked out or forced to submit in his professional career.

He doesn’t want to repeat the mistake he made in his last fight

Makhachev also admitted that his attitude stems from his disappointment with his previous fight against Jack Delli Maddalena. Although he won that bout by unanimous decision and claimed the welterweight title, he himself is not satisfied with his performance.

– To be honest, I watched the fight against Jack later, and I didn’t like it. At that moment, my main priority was to win my second title. I was just fighting to win. I didn’t take any major risks to finish him because I knew I was winning every round. I just wanted to win that second title. If it had been a regular fight, or if we’d faced each other a second time, I think I could have finished him in practically any round.

Islam Makhachev’s professional MMA record currently stands at 28 wins and just one loss. The Dagestani fighter has remained undefeated for 16 consecutive fights and will look to extend this impressive streak at UFC 330, while also making his first successful defense of the welterweight championship belt.