“You Can’t Just Run!” — Dustin Poirier and MMA Legends Breakdown the High-Stakes Stylistic War Between Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry
The mixed martial arts landscape is bracing itself for one of the most intriguing, high-stakes stylistic matchups in recent UFC history. The looming clash between the reigning lightweight champion and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev and the surging, highly confident Irish contender Ian Machado Garry has ignited a fiery debate across the combat sports community. As Makhachev attempts to build upon his legendary status by stamping his authority in a second weight class, the MMA world is analyzing every microscopic detail of this matchup. From the training rooms of São Paulo to the analytical desks of former champions, everyone is weighing in. At the center of the pre-fight narrative is a crucial debate surrounding Ian Garry’s elusive fighting style—a style that Makhachev flatly labels as “running,” but one that top trainers and fighters view as a highly sophisticated weapon that could spell trouble for the Dagestani wrestling machine.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier, who shared the Octagon with Makhachev in a grueling battle, offered a blunt and realistic warning to the Irish contender. Drawing from his firsthand experience against the champion’s relentless pressure, Poirier emphasized that while footwork is essential to maintaining distance, an overly defensive approach will inevitably lead to a scorecard disaster. “He can use the footwork to keep the distance, but he has to win the rounds,” Poirier explained during a detailed breakdown. “You have to land some kind of shot, you have to do some kind of damage. You can’t just run the whole time throwing a jab and expect to win the round against a guy who’s pushing you against the fence.”
Poirier’s assessment highlights the heavy tactical dilemma facing Garry. Makhachev is widely considered the sport’s premier pressure artist, utilizing a relentless forward march to suffocate his opponents’ space. Poirier recounted the sheer physical suffering of dealing with Makhachev’s grappling, specifically pointing out a unique mechanics shift in the champion’s submission game that separates him from his legendary mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Discussing the intricacies of the D’Arce choke that Makhachev used to finish him, Poirier noted that the squeeze felt like an inescapable “vice grip.” Unlike a traditional D’Arce choke where a fighter locks onto their own bicep to create an angled leverage point, Makhachev pulls the opponent directly to his chest, instantly shutting down blood flow. Poirier admitted that the moment the grip was locked, the darkness started closing in almost immediately. Even the notorious Conor McGregor has weighed in on the legendary comparisons, surprisingly placing Makhachev above Khabib due to his devastating finishing ability across multiple positions.
Unsurprisingly, Islam Makhachev enters this training camp with supreme confidence, completely unbothered by the dynamic weapons Garry possesses. Operating out of his familiar training base at KHK MMA in New Jersey alongside a familiar elite cast that includes Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev revealed that his primary adjustment for this camp has simply been increasing his roadwork. “I just have to run in this camp too much because I have to follow him, because he runs too much,” Makhachev joked, dismissing Garry’s movement. “I know his game plan. We always see his fight, and he has the same style always. But I will try to catch him, take him down, just what I did with all my opponents.” When informed that former champion Charles Oliveira had been hosting Garry in São Paulo and sharing valuable wrestling and grappling secrets, Makhachev brushed it off with a cold, sarcastic one-liner: “Charles can tell him about what he’s worried about. Charles taught him how to tap fast, that’s it.”
However, the notion that Ian Garry is simply “running away” has been met with fierce pushback from several prominent MMA minds. Legendary analyst Chael Sonnen questioned Makhachev’s vocabulary, distinguishing between fearful backtracking and elite tactical movement. Sonnen pointed out that while Garry keeps himself in constant motion, calling it “running” ignores how incredibly difficult the Irishman is to track down and hit. Sonnen noted that Garry’s highly anticipated performance against Shavkat Rakhmanov proved he can implement a strictly disciplined, frustrating game plan that keeps elite grapplers at bay. For Garry to emerge victorious against a powerhouse like Makhachev, Sonnen believes the playbook is simple but structurally demanding: “Can you stop a takedown? And second—and it’s in this order specifically—can you go hard for five rounds? Because Islam can. If you change it to ten rounds, Islam’s not going to wilt. If you can stop a takedown and go hard for 25 minutes, the conversation changes completely.”
Adding to the complexity of the matchup is Ian Garry’s physical stature. Standing at an imposing 6’3″ for the welterweight division, Garry will hold a significant size, height, and reach advantage over Makhachev, who is moving up from lightweight. Renowned striking coach Kenny Florian and veteran trainer Ray Longo believe this frame, combined with Garry’s fluid footwork, presents an incredibly awkward puzzle for the champion. Florian explained that Garry’s striking is entirely predicated on his ability to hit and move seamlessly, using long-range weapons like front snap kicks and extended jabs to frustrate opponents. If Makhachev becomes impatient while chasing the taller man, he may be forced into taking desperate, poorly set-up takedown attempts, playing right into Garry’s hands. Longo strongly echoed these sentiments, noting that Garry has been transparently obsessing over his wrestling defense for the past two years, making him a dangerous, massive welterweight who simply finds ways to win fights.
The predictions from the absolute elite of the sport reflect just how competitive this fight truly is. Current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones explicitly favored Makhachev, citing the champion’s flawless wrestling pedigree as the ultimate deciding factor. Jones praised Makhachev’s ability to completely dictate where a fight takes place, describing it as a rare gift that makes him one of the greatest athletes the sport has ever seen. Conversely, former dual-champion Daniel Cormier viewed the matchup as a volatile, dangerous tightrope walk for both athletes. Cormier suggested that Makhachev’s public comments about Garry “running” are actually a calculated piece of psychological warfare designed to bait the young Irishman into an aggressive, emotional brawl. According to Cormier, if Garry can master his emotions and successfully stay upright through the opening round, it could turn into a systematically exhausting, long night for the champion.
Former middleweight king Israel Adesanya also expressed immense excitement for the clash, pointing out that Garry has an eerie habit of manifesting his grandest proclamations inside the cage. Adesanya watched closely as Garry completely neutralised heavy grappling threats in past performances, proving that the Irish star’s defensive scrambling is vastly underrated. Ultimately, as Michael Bisping sharply summarized, Ian Garry possesses the unique mental fortitude to completely ignore a hostile crowd or a critical arena. Garry will happily pop the jab, circle the cage, and fight a highly disciplined, tactical contest to secure the welterweight championship of the world, regardless of whether critics call it “running.” Yet against the flawless, blood-stopping pressure of Islam Makhachev, executing that game plan perfectly for 25 minutes will undoubtedly be the steepest mountain the young Irishman has ever had to climb.
