Dana White directly calls out Ian Garry in brutal rant over Islam Makhachev UFC title fight decision

Dana White has directly criticised Ian Machado Garry in the wake of his defeat to Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 in August.

Makhachev secured a historic 17th successive UFC win and, in doing so, broke Anderson Silva’s 13-year record for most wins in a row.

For Machado Garry, it was a case of what could have been, as the 28-year-old struggled to truly trouble his opponent despite displaying an impressive takedown defence throughout the contest. The Irishman did manage to cause damage to the Russian’s face in the final round, but the welterweight champion quickly recovered to take the victory.

Dana White directly criticises Ian Machado Garry

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After the bout, which took place in Philadelphia, UFC CEO White accused Garry of lacking killer instinct while also describing him as a “classy” guy.

“If he had even an ounce of killer instinct, in that fifth round, you don't come out and hug and shake hands,” White said at the post-match press conference.

“That s**t drives me crazy.”

And over seven weeks on from the contest, White has once again called out Machado Garry’s tentative approach to the final round during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast.

White read a quote saying “you either have the killer instinct or you don’t” out loud before swiftly mentioning Machado Garry’s performance against Makhachev.

“And it’s [the quote] so true. So this happened with Ian Garry, you know,” he began.

“I felt like Ian Garry, in that fifth round, you have this opportunity. You’re fighting possibly the greatest fighter of all time. And you did a damn good f*cking job for four rounds. And, you know, he was battered. His whole right side was busted up, his face was busted up, but he was beating you as far as rounds go.

“Now, you’re the younger, bigger, rangier fighter. You fought four incredible rounds. Get out there and put it on – you go out and start shaking his hands and hugging him.

“Do that when they’re strapping the belt on you. Show Islam all the love you want when the fight’s over. This is the fifth round. You have five minutes to shock the world and, you know, everything you ever f*cking dreamed of and worked for can happen in this next five minutes. And you didn’t do it.”

When pressed by Bartlett about whether this meant Machado Garry doesn’t have a clear killer instinct, White concluded: “Don’t know. He’s a classy, really nice guy. But that’s not the time or place to be it... He didn’t show it. If he does have it, he didn’t show it.”

Who could Ian Machado Garry fight next?

Machado Garry currently boasts a record of 17-2-0, with his other loss coming against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December 2024.

“For me, there’s only one fight that makes sense right now and that’s Michael Morales,” Garry said. “When I beat him, I’m the only one who deserves a title shot, even though me and Islam have just fought.

“Whether Islam wins, whether Carlos Prates wins the next fight, it’s two massive rematches, so I go out there and I finish Michael Morales, get my hand raised, it’s undeniable that I’m right back up there for the title shot. So that’s what I think needs to be next.”

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