Dana White Doubles Down on “Killer Instinct” Criticism of Ian Garry Over UFC 330 Fifth-Round Antics

UFC 330 saw Islam Makhachev successfully defend his welterweight title for the first time, but the champion had to work for every second of the victory. Ian Garry pushed him through five grueling rounds, leaving Makhachev with a battered face and nose while giving him arguably his toughest test since his clash with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284.

Makhachev ultimately did enough to get his hand raised and extend his UFC winning streak to 17 fights. While Garry earned plenty of praise for making the champion work so hard, UFC CEO Dana White wasn't impressed with everything he saw from the Irishman.

White believes Garry's overly friendly approach may have cost him UFC gold . The 28-year-old showed plenty of respect for Makhachev throughout fight week, but he carried that same attitude into the Octagon. Between rounds, the two exchanged high-fives, fist bumps, and friendly pats. Garry even appeared to move in for a hug at the start of the fifth round, a moment that clearly rubbed White the wrong way.

The UFC boss has never been a fan of excessive camaraderie during a fight, and he previously criticized Garry's approach at the UFC 330 press conference. Nearly seven weeks after the Philadelphia showdown, White has now doubled down on his criticism, questioning whether the Irishman showed enough killer instinct when it mattered most.

Dana White Calls Out Ian Garry for Being Too Friendly With Islam Makhachev at UFC 330

During an appearance on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, White read a placard that said, "You either have the killer instinct, or you don't."

White then said, "It says you either have the killer instinct, or you don't, and it's so true. So, this happened with Ian Garry. I felt like Ian Garry in that fifth round, you have this opportunity. You're fighting possibly the greatest fighter of all time. And you did a damn good f*cking job for four rounds. And, you know, he was battered. His whole right side was busted up, his face was busted up, but he was beating you as far as rounds go."

White felt Garry had everything to gain heading into the final five minutes, especially given his physical advantages and how competitive the fight had been. Instead, he believes the Irishman missed his chance to turn the tide.

He added, "Now, you're the younger, bigger, rangier fighter. You fought four incredible rounds. Get out there and put it on – you go out and start shaking his hands and hugging him. Do that when they're strapping the belt on you. Show Islam all the love you want when the fight's over."

White then explained why Garry's approach frustrated him so much, pointing out that the fifth round was his final opportunity to pull off a career-defining upset.

"This is the fifth round. You have five minutes to shock the world and, you know, everything you ever f*cking dreamed of and worked for can happen in these next five minutes. And you didn't do it."

When Bartlett pressed him on whether Garry lacked a clear killer instinct, White offered a more measured response but stood by his criticism.

He said, "I don't know. He's a classy, really nice guy. But that's not the time or place to be it. You have to go out, and you have five minutes left, you know. He didn't show it. If he does have it, he didn't show it."

Interestingly, Makhachev appeared to share some of White's confusion after UFC 330. During his post-fight press conference, the welterweight champion admitted that he didn't quite understand Garry's repeated displays of friendliness in the middle of such a competitive fight.

White's criticism raises an interesting question about where sportsmanship ends and competitive instinct takes over. When you're fighting for UFC gold against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, even a small opening can make all the difference.

Now sitting at 17-2 following his loss to Makhachev, Garry will be looking for another opportunity to work his way back into the title picture. Michael Morales has also made his intentions clear in the 170lbs division, while Garry recently claimed that a potential matchup between them has been discussed and accused the undefeated contender of ducking him despite a date reportedly being locked in.

Whether that fight comes together remains to be seen. For now, Garry has another challenge ahead of him: proving that he can turn his competitive performances into a championship-winning result and, perhaps, change White's opinion of his killer instinct.