Islam Makhachev Responds To Top UFC Contender Who Called Him 'Princess'

By Sam Palmer
Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 Ishika Samant/Getty Images

Islam Makhachev's first defense of the UFC Welterweight Championship is reportedly in the works, as he is rumored to be facing Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this August. It's a fight that many fans have been wanting to see for some time considering the Irishman is one of the top contenders at 170 pounds, and Makhachev is, at the time of writing, still listed as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. However, the two men themselves seem to want the fight even more than the fans.

Garry recently took to Instagram to post a picture of him training for his next fight, and while he didn't mention the UFC Welterweight Champion by name, the reference to a hand injury in his caption pointed immediately to Makhachev.

Garry wrote: "First you say you have a hand injury, Dana said August, you're saying July – I've been ready since you last turned me down in May. We're all waiting on you princess." Makhachev clearly wasn't impressed by Garry's trash talk, particularly the princess part, and responded via his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account. 

Makhachev's injury prevented him from accepting a champion vs. champion fight with UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria, which would have likely taken place at the UFC Freedom 250 card on The White House lawn considering Topuria is headlining that card against Justin Gaethje. However, after vanquishing Jack Della Maddalena at Madison Square Garden in November 2025, and with Shavkat Rakhmonov still on the sidelines with an injury, Makhachev will want to teach Garry a lesson and prove that he is the undisputed king of the welterweight division.

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