By:
Paul Kelly
Ian Machado Garry is being frozen out of the UFC Welterweight Title picture.
The champion Islam Makhachev has revealed he was offered a fight with Michael Morales in January, despite him being ranked below the Irishman.
Ian Garry Frozen Out Of UFC Welterweight Title Picture
Islam Makhachev has revealed that he was offered a fight with Michael Morales in January, but will instead wait until after Ramadan to return to the octagon.
The UFC welterweight king was last seen defeating Jack Della Maddalena via dominant unanimous decision at UFC 322 in November, and looks set to return to the cage in April/May time.
After beating former champion Belal Muhammad in his last fight, Ian Machado Garry called Makhachev out for the 170-pound belt, insisting he should be the next challenger to his throne.
However, Garry has since dropped down the UFC welterweight rankings from second to third, despite nobody in the top 15 doing anything to warrant jumping ahead of the 28-year-old.
https://twitter.com/ChampRDS/status/1992328250492924112
Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is the only person to have beaten Garry, leapfrogged ‘The Future’ into #2, with many fans feeling he will instead get the next UFC Welterweight Title shot ahead of Garry.
However, it now looks like Garry is even further down the pecking order than first thought after Makhachev’s comments in the recent interview with Ushatayka.
The UFC welterweight king revealed that he was offered a fight for January with the #4 ranked contender Michael Morales, but instead opted to fight after Ramadan instead.
This indicates that not only is Rakhmonov ahead of Garry in the UFC Welterweight Title pecking order, but Morales is too, despite being ranked one place below the Irishman.
‼️Islam Makhachev reveals he was offered a fight in January but turned it down, and he thinks it would've been against Michael Morales
via Ushatayka
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) December 27, 2025
Ian Garry Needs One More Win Before UFC Welterweight Title Shot
With reports that Michael Morales was set to be Islam Makhachev’s next opponent for his first UFC Welterweight Title defence, Ian Machado Garry evidently needs one more big win before he finally gets his shot.
The 28-year-old will feel hard done by and feels he more than deserves his chance at UFC gold, but may well have to add one more win to his resume against a top contender before earning his shot once and for all.
If Morales is indeed next for Makhachev, then a rematch between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Garry would make sense to determine the bonafide next contender for the 170-pound belt.
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren feels that Garry has more than earned the UFC Welterweight Title shot, but UFC President Dana White seemingly disagrees.
https://twitter.com/ChampRDS/status/2004857150733205945
If the #4 ranked Morales, who did emphatically stop the former #2 ranked Sean Brady inside one round last time out, is given the next shot at Makhachev’s crown, then a Rakhmonov vs Garry rematch makes sense in a final eliminator to fight the winner of Makhachev vs Morales.
Some fans may argue that Morales deserves the next shot having secured three successive first round knockout wins and ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses.
However, other fans feel that Garry is being hard done by and has paid his dues too. Either way, it seems ‘The Future’ will have to add one more win to his record before he finally gets his chance to win the UFC Welterweight Title.
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