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Makhachev (28-1) puts his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line for the first time against Ian Garry (17-1) at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The Russian returns nine months after winning the 170-pound belt and he wants to be more active going forward.
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Islam Makhachev wants quicker UFC turnaround after Ian Garry title fight
Makhachev says he wouldn’t mind fighting again this year if he doesn’t have any injuries. While he has been accused of inactivity previously, the Dagestani champion claims that he wants to fight as often as possible. The 34-year-old wants to make the most of the limited time he has left in his career.
Makhachev says that bookings are often delayed due to factors beyond his control.
“It’s not a problem for me if I don’t have any injuries, not cut much weight,” Makhachev told UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson. “I’m not like young guy. Now it’s better for me to fight every three to four months… I understand I’m not 28 years old; I’m 34 right now. And I don’t have much time. Sometimes it’s not going like you want in the UFC. You want to fight after three or four months, but it’s not according to your wish.”
Makhachev has rarely fought more than twice a year since joining the UFC in 2015. However, a large part of his early UFC career was stalled due to opponents ducking him. Makhachev won the lightweight title in 2022 and defended it four times before moving up to welterweight last year.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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