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Former UFC champion Belal Muhammad believes Islam Makhachev will defeat Ian Machado Garry in the main event of UFC 330.

Tonight, Islam Makhachev faces another tough test as he attempts to successfully defend his UFC welterweight championship against Ian Machado Garry. If he’s able to get the job done, he will break Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history.

RELATED: Khabib Nurmagomedov criticizes Islam Makhachev’s response to Ian Machado Garry praise at UFC 330 presser

Of course, Machado Garry knows that this could be his one and only opportunity to defeat someone like Makhachev and hold the gold at this level. So, many are expecting a tense, tight affair between two fighters with drastically different styles.

In a recent video, Belal Muhammad weighed in on how he thinks Makhachev vs Machado Garry will likely play out.

Muhammad’s view on Makhachev vs Machado Garry

“He’s smart, and they usually come in with a good game plan. So I think with Islam, it’s all about cutting the cage off – cutting the cage off, making Garry uncomfortable on his back foot, closer to the fence, and I think eventually, it will wear on Garry. Garry is very good at sticking and moving, running, keeping the fight at a very slow pace. I think he does that because he knows he gets tired. He knows he gets gassed. He doesn’t have one-punch knockout power, so he’ll stick and move, stick and move, make you frustrated, and he doesn’t care if it’s just a boring fight. He doesn’t care if it’s a slow fight. He doesn’t care if the crowd is booing.

“He knows if he’s hitting and not getting hit, he’s winning. So for Islam, you’ve got to cut the cage off. And when you enter, it has to be off of combos. Garry is very good at countering off of one punch. He’ll wait for that one punch, lean back, come with a 1-2 or come with a cross over the top. He’s taller, so he sees a lot. And when he kicks, he goes for that low kick, calf kick. I think he’s going to be attacking your lead leg since you’re southpaw-orthodox. He’s going to be doing that stomp kick on there, so just lifting that knee up, checking it, picking it up, and then closing the distance when he does that. If you stay out of kicking range with him, it frustrates him.”

“I’m going with Islam,” Muhammad said. “I think it will be a longer fight. I don’t think it will be an early finish. I think it will probably go to the fourth and fifth round, and if Garry was getting away the first three rounds, I could see him getting finished in the fifth. I could see a sub coming from Islam. I don’t think it’s going to be on the feet for long.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

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