Things got physical between Ian Machado Garry and Khamzat Chimaev backstage at UFC Fight Night 265 in Doha, Qatar.
After Arman Tsarukyan submitted Dan Hooker in the main event, Machado Garry crossed paths with UFC middleweight champion Chimaev. It was a cordial interaction at first, but a moment later, Chimaev shoved Machado Garry.
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From the Irishman’s perspective, Chimaev should have handled himself more like a champion.
“I went up to Tsarukyan, I congratulated him,” Machado Garry explained at a post-fight news conference. “I went up to Khamzat, I said, ‘Hey champ, what’s up? When are we gonna see you back?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know, brother. Whenever. Smash.’ I was like, ‘Alright, cool. Sweet.’ Slaps me on the back, I’m like, alright, cool. Security guy gets in front of us. We literally were just cool with each other, he’s not gonna fight me – and then that childish energy comes out.
“‘Ahh, f*ck you brother, f*ck you.’ Boom. Tries to push me. I just turn around and went, ‘You’re meant to be a champion of this sport. You’re a child.’ You’re taking away from your friend’s win over here. How about you calm down, slow down, and have a bit of respect for your friend over here instead of steal the headlines. Do you want the honest truth? It’s little d*ck energy. You’re the champion of the world. No one needs to see you be tough. You don’t need to have these anger management issues. Just be a man. Sorry. I’ll get him one day.”
Machado Garry’s description of the altercation was spot on. Check out the full video below (via Machado Garry’s Instagram):
During Tsarukyan’s post-fight news conference, Chimaev gave his perspective on what unfolded with Machado Garry.
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“Don’t punch somebody from behind, you know?” Chimaev said (via Red Corner MMA). “He punched, like slapping my back. If you want to show respect, respectfully touch somebody. That’s what I tell him, touch somebody respectful. But he came like that to make some hype. Like, you know that guy, trying to be Conor (McGregor). He never gonna be Conor. He’s a sh*t fighter.”
Machado Garry made a case for the welterweight title in the co-main event by defeating former champion Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision. Chimaev, who won the middleweight title in August by defeating Dricus Du Plessis, recently stated he won’t return to action until after Ramadan in 2026.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Khamzat Chimaev shoves Ian Machado Garry in Qatar; both react
