"Harry can't stop me. Shavkat has shown his level" - Makhachev

“Harry can’t stop me. Shavkat has shown his level” — Makhachev

The current UFC welterweight champion, 34-year-old Russian fighter Islam Makhachev, expressed confidence that Irishman Ian Harry, who is ranked first in the UFC in the 77 kg weight category, will not be able to defeat him. Makhachev also noted that he does not consider Harry to be a serious threat to him. Their fight will be the main event of the UFC 330 tournament, which will take place in Philadelphia on the morning of August 16.

“Ian is not a fighter who can stop me. I also saw his fight with Shavkat. Rakhmonov easily defeated him in the first round. I don’t see anything special in him. Shavkat put pressure on him, took him to the ground and showed me Harry’s level,” Makhachev said in an interview before the fight.

For information, the fight between Garry and Rakhmonov took place on December 10, 2024, as part of the UFC 310 tournament. The fight ended with Shavkat Rakhmonov winning by unanimous decision.

Islam Makhachev is currently on a 16-fight winning streak in the UFC. His professional record is 28 wins and 1 loss. The Russian fighter last won the welterweight title at UFC 322 in New York by unanimous decision over former champion Australian Jack Della Maddalena, becoming one of the only fighters in UFC history to win the title in two weight classes.

Ian Machado Harry fought his last fight on November 22, 2025, against Palestinian Bilal Muhammad at the UFC Fight Night tournament in Qatar, where he won by unanimous decision. The 28-year-old Irishman has a professional record of 17 wins (8 of which were by knockout) and 1 loss.