Victorious Machado Garry demands title shot

Ian Machado Garry continued his climb in the direction of a welterweight title shot by beating Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar in Doha.

The Irishman secured his seventeenth profession win with a unanimous factors victory over the previous champion on the ABHA Area.

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Machado Garry, 28, declared himself the primary contender to combat champion Islam Makhachev.

“I simply beat the primary welterweight on this planet, the previous champion,” Machado Garry mentioned.

“There may be no person else above him apart from the world champion. Belal could not take me down, so Islam, you strive take me down. I am telling you now, I’m one of the best on this planet.

“You will have an obligation to defend that belt in opposition to one of the best welterweight on this planet and you’re looking at him.

“I’m taking that throne from you. There may be no person getting in the way in which of me and my future and my goals, so signal the contract and I’ll see you quickly.”

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American Muhammad, 37, opted to strike with Machado Garry for the primary spherical, however discovered little success in opposition to an opponent with longer vary.

However Muhammad’s efforts to change to his grappling strengths had been repeatedly thwarted.

Machado Garry shrugged off his seven makes an attempt at takedowns and landed 72 vital strikes to Muhammad’s 56.

However after failing to supply a end, big knockout wins final week for Carlos Prates and Michael Morales in opposition to high contenders Leon Edwards and Sean Brady respectively might properly push them forward of Machado Garry within the pecking order for a title shot.

Makhachev’s destruction of former champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 final week topped a brand new champion of the division.

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The Russian, 34, is now a two-weight champion and has not misplaced an MMA combat since 2015, his sole profession loss to Adriano Martins.

In the primary occasion Arman Tsarukyan protected his primary light-weight rating by submitting Dan Hooker in spherical two.

Armenian Tsarukyan is chasing a second title shot after he was compelled to withdraw from his first probability in January in combat week due to damage.

Tsarukyan, 29, made brief work of 34-year-old Hooker, taking the New Zealander to the bottom earlier than working his manner into an arm-triangle submission.

Light-weight champion Ilia Topuria has the choose of contenders, together with Tsarukyan and Britain’s Paddy Pimblett.

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Riley makes knockout debut

Briton Luke Riley made an ideal begin to his UFC profession with a second-round knockout of Bogdan Grad.

The 26-year-old featherweight overcame a tough first spherical when he struggled to familiarize yourself with the tempo and grappling of Grad.

However with fitness center team-mate Pimblett in his nook, Riley got here flying out within the second spherical and landed a large left hand to ship Grad down.

The Austrian tried to combat off Riley however, with heavy strikes raining down, the referee stopped the competition.

“I am my very own worst critic,” Riley mentioned, citing a nasty first spherical.

“Line them up – I am taking all of them out. I will be again quickly.”

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Pimblett was among the many first to rejoice with Riley, who ended a dropping streak for fighters who’ve transitioned from Cage Warriors to the UFC in 2025 after losses for Jordan Vucenic, Nathan Fletcher and Harry Hardwick.

Riley improved his file to 12-0, with 9 stoppages.

Britain’s Shem Rock suffered a factors loss on his UFC debut to Tajikistan’s Nurullo Aliev of their light-weight bout.