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Ian Machado Garry may not have matched the recent first-round heroics of his division-mates, but he made a case for being UFC's new No. 1 welterweight contender all the same.

The self-assured Irishman captured a one-sided unanimous decision over former UFC champion Belal Muhammad on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Qatar, winning a foul-laden contest that saw Muhammad suffer two eye-pokes. Garry then seized the microphone and made an inspired post-fight callout of the sport's pound-for-pound king: UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev:

"Listen, I just beat the No. 1-ranked welterweight on the planet, Belal Muhammad, a former champion. There is nobody else above him other than the world champion, Islam Makhachev. Belal couldn't take me down, so Islam, you try to take me down. I'm telling you right now, I'm the best in the world, and you have a duty to defend that belt against the best welterweight on the planet — and you're looking at him. It's Ian Machado Garry. You come into my division? Then you show up wherever you want in the world and I'll be there. I'm taking that throne from you and I'm ending that continuous [win] streak. You're done. There is nobody getting in the way of me and my future, and me and my dreams, so sign the contract and I will see you soon."

The stakes were high Saturday for both Garry (17-1) and Muhammad (24-5, 1 NC) following UFC 322's highlight-reel finishes from fellow welterweight contenders, Michael Morales and Carlos Prates, and Makhachev's crowning victory over now-former 170-pound champ Jack Della Maddalena.

Garry, 28, fended off all seven of Muhammad's takedown attempts and generally led the dance on the feet, peppering away with long, rangy punches and stabbing kicks to keep the former champ guessing. Accidental eye-pokes from Garry in the first and second rounds also helped slow down Muhammad, but went unpunished by referee Rich Mitchell.

In the end, Garry pushed his UFC record to 10-1, securing a trio of scores — 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 — to earn the seventh decision win over his Octagon run.

Muhammad, 37, whose 11-fight unbeaten streak was snapped by Della Maddalena in May, has now lost back-to-back bouts for the first time in his career.

"That man didn't surprise me at all," Garry said of Muhammad. "There's a reason why he was the world champion and there's a reason why he hasn't been finished in nine years. I hit that guy hard, I hit me very hard, and he just kept coming. I split him open early — boom, boom, boom — he was looking for excuses to get out of there, but he's just a tough guy.

"When you've got [Shavkat Rakhmonov] and you've got Islam Makhachev at the top of the division, you've got to be ready to be able to stop people [from taking you down]," Garry added. "I'm telling everyone this now — I'm phenomenal on the feet, I'm phenomenal on the ground if you can get me there."

For full coverage of UFC Qatar, including live results, play-by-play and highlights of the entire Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker main card, check out Uncrowned's UFC Qatar hub.