Demian Maia backs Ian Machado Garry’s UFC 330 title run, says Islam Makhachev’s grappling is ‘very good’

Demian Maia is preparing to watch Ian Machado Garry chase a UFC title as a coach, not a fighter, and he sounded confident that the welterweight challenger can make the moment complicated for Islam Makhachev at UFC 330. Maia, a veteran known for elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu and relentless choke work, suggested the fight could hinge on whether Garry can turn his own game into something that forces a grappling-heavy champion to improvise.

Maia’s confidence was rooted in the realities of how his own career played out in the cage: he repeatedly found paths to win through neck-and-position control, then used that perspective later as he moved into corner and gym work. In the new role described in the report, Maia’s experience is being applied as Garry tries to build a plan for an opponent whose route to success has increasingly been built around control, pressure, and transitions into submissions.

The matchup, as outlined in the coverage, pits Garry’s challenge against a reigning champion who has established himself as one of the UFC’s most dangerous grapplers. The same report quoted Maia praising Makhachev’s jiu-jitsu, describing it as “very good.” That matters because Maia’s job as a coach will be to translate what “very good” grappling actually looks like in live rounds, where small timing differences can decide whether a fight stays standing long enough for the challenger’s offense to land.

Maia also referenced his proximity to high-level competition and game-planning recently through involvement with Charles Oliveira’s camp, noting participation around a one-sided victory over Max Holloway earlier this year. The point in the report was less about results and more about how camps shape fighters’ decision-making, particularly when a title fight demands a specific response to an opponent’s best positions.

For Garry, the title challenge represents more than a single night. A successful upset would put a sharper spotlight on how welterweight title fights are evolving, with more emphasis on scrambling, welterweight-sized striking transitions, and the ability to survive moments when a champion takes top control. Maia’s endorsement suggests he sees Garry’s moment as one where preparation can create doubt, even against a champion known for shutting down opponents on the mat.

For Makhachev, Maia’s comment serves as a reminder that the champion’s identity is still being defined by skill at close range, and that his opponents will increasingly come in with plans designed to disrupt his entry timing and limit prolonged exchanges. Maia’s praise of Makhachev’s BJJ does not guarantee anything in a title fight, but it frames why the challenger’s best path will likely involve more than one successful tactic.

What to watch next is whether Garry’s approach can keep Makhachev from settling into his most comfortable rhythm. Maia’s background in position-heavy grappling makes his confidence notable, because it implies the fight could be decided by who controls the “in-between” moments, not only by who wins the final scramble.

If the challenger's pressure leads to extended sequences where Garry can threaten submissions or force resets, Maia’s belief could feel prescient. If Makhachev quickly negates those entry attempts and turns clinch work into the kind of positional advantage that makes submissions inevitable, the champion’s “very good” grappling will show why he remains the benchmark for the division.