While Ian Garry has been spending time honing his skills for Islam Makhachev, it looks like that fight is off the table for the Irishman. A shocker, as Makhachev’s manager puts an end to a potential title defense against Garry for a “much bigger” opportunity. Now, what could that be?

Following a victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, Makhachev crowned himself as the new welterweight king and set his sights on Kamaru Usman. Now, as the Dagestani fighter’s return date becomes a topic of discussion, Ali Abdelaziz has shed some light on who that possible opponent could be. For starters, they surely do not want ‘The Future.’

Ali Abdelaziz rules out Ian Garry fight next for Makhachev, backtracks soon after

“This is, I can tell you, the UFC working on a big fight. Islam Makhachev and Ian’s name is not involved,” wrote Ali Abdelaziz on X. “Much bigger. One of the biggest fights in the UFC right now they can make. Stay tuned.😉”

This contradicts what Garry has been putting out there. The Irishman is in Georgia, honing his wrestling skills to take on the Russian, a move that Makhachev has dismissed, simply because he believes three months of wrestling will do Garry no good against a lifetime of Dagestani wrestling experience.

Another reason for that could probably be that Makhachev is sureshot fighting someone other than Garry. But Kamaru Usman does not really fit the bill for ‘one of the biggest fight in the UFC right now.’ With Ilia Topuria likely fighting Justin Gaethje, this could just be Abdelaziz hypiung up his own client, Usman. But, Garry wasn’t about to let him have the last word.

‘The Future’ responded to Ali’s X post writing, “No they’re not.” The Dominance MMA head wrote back, “The Champ will let you know, there are so many great options, you in the conversation for now.”

Essentially, they’ve told us nothing except that names, including Garry’s, are in the running to be Islam’s first welterweight title defense. With Carlos Prates and Jack Della Maddalena headlining UFC Perth in May, Michael Morales becomes one other name that could give Garry a run for the spot.

But for ‘The Future’ remains confident he will be the next to challenge the Dagestani fighter’s status as the #1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and two-division UFC champion. Likewise, there are also fighters like Garry who want to challenge Makhachev for the UFC welterweight champion. Could anyone among them be the “much bigger” opponent that Abdelaziz has hinted about?

Who are the potential ‘big name’ options available for Islam Makhachev?

After Della Maddalena, Ian Garry, as the #2-ranked UFC welterweight, comes next in line for a title fight opportunity. But Makhachev has been quite dismissive of that matchup. Instead, he called for a fight against Kamaru Usman, considering Usman’s stature as one of the veterans in the division.

As legacy fights go, this is the biggest one at welterweight for Makhachev. This fight is so good that even Colby Covington, rival to both Usman and the Dagestani camp, came out and publicly backed it. Plus, no one else at welterweight has wrestling credentials like Usman. He has proven his stand-up skills with the KO wins over Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.

Usman took on Khamzat Chimaev on short notice at a higher weight class and held his own. Surely he can give Islam a run for his money at his own weight class with a proper camp. And if not Usman, who else?

It’s the second unlikely option – Ilia Topuria. This one can be safely ruled out since Justin Gaethje is sitting on the interim title, and Dana White has lately not been a fan of fighters jumping divisions without defending their titles.

And the only name bigger than Ilia Topuria is Conor McGregor! A welterweight title shot for the returning Irishman would be outlandish, and on-brand for the promotion’s new direction under the Paramount deal. McGregor has teased his ‘triple crown’ dreams a few times now. And he posted and deleted a picture of the welterweight rankings on X.

His last two rumored opponents were from the welterweight division – Prates and Della Maddalena. What if the real name in conversation was the champion, Makhachev, himself?

On that note, who do you think the UFC welterweight champion fights next? Let us know in the comments below!