This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Qatar, we saw a potential title eliminator in the welterweight division. Former champion Belal Muhammad (24-5, 1 NC) was looking to bounce back after losing his title as he took on top contender Ian Machado Garry (17-1).
The week prior saw a ton of movement in the welterweight division with Islam Makhachev winning the title and Carlos Prates and Michael Morales both scoring huge finishes. This was Garry and Muhammad’s opportunity to make a big statement and leave a lasting impression on the UFC.
While watching this fight, it truly felt like a bull and matador type of matchup. Muhammad kept trying to push forward with pressure but Garry’s movement and speed kept him at range. Machado Garry caught Muhammad a lot throughout the three rounds with clean shots and a lot of kicks.
Muhammad was able to get ahold of Machado Garry a few times but he was never able to get him down. With this being mainly a point-style striking matchup, it was all Machado Garry. I gave him all three rounds and he won a pretty clear decision at UFC Qatar.
What’s next after UFC Qatar?
I think that Ian Machado Garry has put himself into a position where he is one of two guys who will be fighting for the title next. He called for a shot against Islam Makhachev and if you ask me, he very well might be the next guy in line to fight for the belt.
He’s 2-0 this year with wins over Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad. He also was the backup fighter for the Muhammad – Jack Della Maddalena title fight in May. The only person who might get the next shot over Garry is Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Machado Garry and Rakhmonov fought last December and Rakhmonov picked up the decision win handing Garry his first professional loss. Rakhmonov was supposed to then fight for the UFC welterweight title, but he injured his knee in the fight with Machado Garry and we haven’t seen him since then.
He could come right back to a title fight with the argument that he has a head-to-head win over Garry. In that case, Ian Machado Garry would need one more fight and I think the perfect opponent is Kamaru Usman. Usman also wants a title shot, but I don’t see any argument for that personally.
Usman is coming off a win against Joaquin Buckley and I think he needs one more win before getting a title shot. In my opinion, Usman should fight whoever the UFC doesn’t give the title shot to. If Shavkat gets the title fight, Usman fights Garry. If Garry gets the title shot, give me Kamaru Usman – Shavkat Rakhmonov.
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