Ian Machado Garry isn’t beating himself up over his title fight loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 330.
Saturday’s main event ended with a familiar sight as Makhachev had his hand raised for the 17th straight time, breaking a tie with the legendary Anderson Silva for the longest consecutive win streak in company history. Makhachev earned a unanimous decision over Garry to successfully defend his welterweight title and maintain his status as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Despite the loss, Garry put on a competitive effort, and following the fight he took to Instagram to comment on his performance and how he’s feeling in the aftermath.
“Tonight wasn’t my night,” Garry said. “I feel great, I did great, Islam was just better than me tonight and that’s OK. I want everybody who loves me and supports me and wants to see me do better, I want you to know that I’m going to be back.
“I’m not disheartened by this. I’m bulletproof in my mind. I’m 28 years of age, I just fought maybe the greatest fighter we’ve ever seen in this sport and I pushed him to the f*cking wire and I’m so proud of myself and I’m so proud of my team and everything that we’ve done. I’m so proud of what I’ve done in this world and who I’ve become. Nobody’s stopping me. Tonight was not my night.”
Garry loses for just the second time in 12 UFC appearances. He began his pro career 15-0, including wins in his first eight UFC fights. Following a loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Garry bounced back with decision victories over former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates to put himself into position for the UFC 330 title opportunity.
He closed out his social media message by praising Makhachev and his team, and promising he’ll continue to evolve as he looks ahead to his next fight.
“Islam, your team, congratulations,” Garry said. “Your guys did amazing. I have nothing but love and respect for everything you guys have done in this sport, I said that to you. I’ll be back. There’s plenty of matchups in this sport, plenty of fun matchups that I’m excited for. We’ll be back and we’ll be better than ever. I love you all, let’s go, baby.”