Islam MakhachevvsIan Garry

This is the fight everyone's been fantasy booking since Makhachev moved up to welterweight. Islam just became a two-division champ by grinding out Jack Della Maddalena over five rounds at UFC 322 in New York, and Ian Garry immediately called him out after stuffing all seven of Belal Muhammad's takedown attempts in Qatar. Garry literally said "Belal couldn't take me down, so Islam, you try to take me down." That's the kind of confidence that gets fans hyped. Here's what makes this matchup so wild: Makhachev is the king of control, that suffocating Dagestani pressure that broke Dustin Poirier with a fifth-round D'Arce choke and put Renato Moicano away in under four minutes.

But Garry's takedown defense looked scary good against Muhammad, and his striking volume is insane. He landed 141 shots over five rounds against Carlos Prates. The question everyone wants answered: can Islam's wrestling crack that defense, or will Garry's movement and output give him problems? Makhachev's riding a 16 fight win streak that ties Anderson Silva's octagon record, mixing submissions with that brutal head kick that slept Alexander Volkanovski in the rematch.

Garry's only got one loss on his record (that decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov) and he's been on a tear since, beating former champ Muhammad and looking more dangerous every time out. This would answer whether Islam's ground game travels to 170 against elite competition, or if Garry's the guy to end that historic streak. The stakes couldn't be bigger: Makhachev's welterweight title on the line, his legacy as a two-division champ, and Garry's shot at proving he's the best in the world like he claims. This is the kind of fight that defines careers.