joeijustgotatextmessage's Review

Islam Makhachev vs Ian Machado Garry

High level MMA chess match, Machado-Garry presented an interesting matchup for Makhachev that we hadn’t seen before: height, reach, etc. Islam delt with it well enough to get the decision. Was what you’d expect from two high level guys that matched up the way they did. Entertainment factor was low, outside of the second round headkick. Would make your casual viewing fan roll his eyes. Typical Machado-Garry fight, boring and safe. Surprised me with the lack of movement we’ve come accustomed to throughout his career, and could’ve cost him a belt. He seemed to have the advantage on the feet but failed to really do anything of value with it. There were moments it felt like Ian could steal the fight with pitter patter and points but then Islam would drown it with control time. Machado-Garry seemed to have the correct gamelan and preparation needed to beat Islam, but wasn’t willing to step into the fire when needed. Machado-Garry will need to take more risks if he wants to beat a guy like Makhachev. He seems to have all the talent in the world and not enough heart. Makhachev did very well against the puzzle that Garry presents, played to his own strengths. Had it 3-1 going into the 5th but easily could’ve been 2-2. When it came down to who was willing to do what needed to be done to get the gold, Islam played his game and drowned Ian. Boring decision fight, but high level MMA. Both can be true.