Dan Hardy was not sold on Ian Machado Garry’s friendly approach to Islam Makhachev during UFC 330 fight week, questioning whether several interactions were calculated rather than spontaneous.
Speaking to Submission Radio, Hardy focused on Garry, 28, introducing his son to Makhachev and the Irishman’s respectful tone at the pre-fight press conference. “The whole thing with introducing his son. Call me cynical, but I struggle to look at anything like that and go, that’s just a genuinely lovely moment,” Hardy said. “A lot of what he does is performative.”
Hardy said he could not be sure whether Garry had a tactical reason for acting warmly toward the UFC welterweight champion, but he wondered if it was an effort to make Makhachev less guarded before their title fight. Garry’s complimentary comments at the press conference appeared to frustrate Makhachev, according to Hardy, who speculated that the challenger may have been attempting to present himself as familiar and non-threatening.
“He might have been like, ‘Here we are, brother, here is my family,’” Hardy said. “I don’t know if there’s a tactic behind that.”
The former UFC title challenger contrasted Garry’s public approach with Makhachev’s personality, saying he sees the champion as more direct. “To me, there’s nothing performative about Makhachev,” Hardy said. “From Ian, I think a lot of it is planned; it’s strategic, performative, and I wonder if all of that friendliness was a tactic to maybe disarm Makhachev. I don’t like it.”
Dan Hardy Questions Ian Garry’s Fight Week Approach Against Islam Makhachev
The Irish athlete’s sportsmanship became a major post-fight talking point after Makhachev retained the 170-pound title by unanimous decision in the UFC 330 main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on August 15. The official scorecards read 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 for Makhachev, who extended his UFC-record winning streak to 17.
Makhachev and Garry exchanged embraces and handshakes during the fight, including before the fifth round. UFC CEO Dana White took issue with that decision after the bout, arguing Garry should have pushed for a finish rather than continued the respectful exchanges. White said Garry had landed useful body work and had an opportunity to take risks in the final round.
Makhachev later echoed the view that the gestures were unnecessary during an active championship contest. Despite being respectful of Garry personally, the Russian champion said the fight should have been treated as “war,” not a moment for repeated hugs.
The result was Garry’s second professional defeat, moving his record to 17-2. Makhachev improved to 29-1 and retained the welterweight belt after five competitive rounds, with his wrestling and late control helping secure the decision.
Hardy’s criticism is less about Garry showing respect and more about the timing and intent behind it. In a title fight against a champion chasing history, he sees friendliness as a possible mental-game choice but one that did not appear to change Makhachev’s focus.
