Masvidal expects Islam Makhachev to control Ian Machado Garry’s path at UFC 330

Jorge Masvidal is projecting a lopsided stylistic matchup in the UFC 330 orbit, arguing that Islam Makhachev’s ground game is the kind of threat that can overwhelm Ian Machado Garry before the fight ever settles into a comfortable rhythm. Masvidal’s core claim, as reported by Yahoo Sports on July 28, is that Garry will not be able to handle Makhachev’s wrestling and control once the fight turns into grappling exchanges.

The reasoning behind Masvidal’s expectation is not framed around a single punch or a narrow game plan detail. Instead, it is tied to a broader matchup dynamic: if Makhachev can impose his offensive grappling, the opponent does not merely have to defend one skill. They must keep escaping, prevent sustained positional control, and avoid accumulating damage while searching for a route back to the feet. Masvidal’s language in the report emphasizes that he expects Garry to struggle “at all” with that specific problem.

For Garry, the challenge is magnified by what a matchup with Makhachev represents in modern UFC terms. Makhachev has been viewed as a grappling-forward champion profile, where the threat is not simply to take the fight down, but to turn takedowns into control, and control into fatigue, scrambles, and finishing opportunities. If Masvidal’s prediction holds, Garry would have to execute a near-perfect blend of takedown defense, scramble awareness, and damage minimization to prevent the fight from becoming Makhachev’s pace.

Masvidal, for his part, brings a veteran perspective shaped by years of preparing for wrestle-and-control opponents at the highest level. In the Yahoo Sports report, he is effectively betting that Makhachev’s ground pressure is the key variable that decides how long Garry can keep distance and angles where his striking can matter. That is an important distinction, because many fighters can survive an occasional exchange on the mat, but fewer can repeatedly negate a consistent sequence of entries, sprawls, and positional advances.

What makes this kind of matchup talk particularly relevant heading into a major numbered event like UFC 330 is the spotlight effect. Major cards tend to sharpen the tactical question in the audience’s mind, and the prediction that a single phase will dominate can influence how fans and fighters interpret every exchange in the build-up. If Makhachev’s grappling is truly the organizing force, the fight narrative becomes less about who has more tools and more about who can impose the first long grappling stretch.

There is also a caution flag. The Yahoo Sports piece reflects Masvidal’s expectation, not a confirmed breakdown of the specific game plan each fighter will bring. UFC fights routinely change once a fighter lands clean early, once the pace forces different decisions, or once the original wrestling plan meets an answer the opponent did not reveal in earlier training. Until the fight is underway, the only firm takeaway from this report is the confidence Masvidal has in Makhachev’s ground control advantage against Garry.