Russian UFC fighter Islam Makhachev, after defending his welterweight title on Saturday, August 15, said that during the fight with Ian Machado Harry, he did not like the excessive, in his opinion, display of respect from his opponent. According to Makhachev, he himself treats fights as a “war”, so he would prefer not to “hug after every round.”
Makhachev won the fight with the Irishman Gary by unanimous decision after five rounds. Success became for the Russian not only the defense of the championship belt, but also the 17th victory in a row. The streak is now the highest in UFC history.
At the post-fight press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Makhachev was asked about what Garry told him between rounds. Journalists noticed that the Irishman tried to hug the Russian, touched his head and high-fived him.
“Honestly, I don’t understand it. This is a fight, we are not required to hug each other every round. We go to war – we break each other's faces, leave bruises under our eyes. I also respect my opponents, but I don’t know, I think he respects me too much,” Makhachev said with a laugh, calling the Irishman a “good guy.”
Respect after five rounds 🤝 #UFC330 pic.twitter.com/9civbOGTNB
— UFC (@ufc) August 16, 2026
Answering the question about who he is now ready to fight for the welterweight title, Makhachev named three names.
“[Майкл] Morales, [Карлос] Prates and Shavkat [Рахмонов] make me train better every day. I see that these are real fighters with whom you can have good fights,” the champion noted.
In other comments to reporters, Makhachev listed the same fighters, but noted that Prates “deserves more than anyone else” to fight him. The Brazilian is currently ranked number one in the UFC welterweight rankings, behind Makhachev's championship position. Prates’ video response has already appeared on the MMA on Point Instagram account.
“I’ll knock you out, bro, and bring the belt to Brazil. I will become the first welterweight champion from Brazil,” emphasized Makhachev’s likely opponent.
