Islam Makhachev’s manager rules out Ian Machado Garry, reveals talks for ‘much bigger’ UFC fight

However, Ali Abdelaziz has ruled out the possibility of the Irishman facing his star client next.

Does Ian Machado Garry have what it takes to beat Islam Makhachev? Explain your decision down below!

Ali Abdelaziz: The UFC is working on a big fight for Islam Makhachev

On Monday morning, Ian Machado Garry accused Islam Makhachev of delaying their potential fight.

“I’m ready… He needs more time. Imagine being the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and needing MORE time,” the 17-1 contender wrote on Instagram.

A few hours later, Ali Abdelaziz took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to provide a major update.

The founder of Dominance MMA Management ruled out a fight between Islam Makhachev and Garry before claiming something ‘much bigger’ is currently being discussed.

“This is, I can tell you, the UFC is working on a big fight for Islam Makhachev, and Ian’s name is not involved,” Abdelaziz tweeted.

“Much bigger. One of the biggest fights in the UFC right now they can make. Stay tuned.”

Does a fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria need to happen? 👀

Let us know in the comments how you would see this super-fight playing out…

What is the ‘much bigger’ Islam Makhachev fight?

Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria is arguably the biggest fight that can be made in 2026.

The UFC lightweight champion is expected to have a unification clash with Justin Gaethje this summer.

Ali Abdelaziz, without mentioning any names, is suggesting Topuria may skip that scrap to face Makhachev instead.

No one else in the welterweight top 15 can be considered a ‘much bigger’ star than Ian Machado Garry.

The UFC could book Makhachev in out-of-left-field fights with Conor McGregor or Khamzat Chimaev, but that seems very unlikely. Whereas Topuria has recently been talking about moving to 170lbs for a mega-fight with Makhachev.