Ian Machado Garry isn’t even fighting this weekend, but that hasn’t stopped him from stealing the spotlight.
Saturday’s welterweight championship headliner in Montreal will see reigning titleholder Belal Muhammad put his gold on the line against streaking Aussie contender Jack Della Maddalena. In the backdrop will be Garry, who’s in The Great White North to serve as the official backup, just in case either fighter is forced to bow out at the last second.
Chances are, the most action Garry will see all weekend is his stepping on the scale. Still, ‘The Future’ thinks that his presence alone has been more than enough to distract both Muhammad and ‘JDM’ ahead of their mildly anticipated clash.
“I think me just being here has taken both their focus off each other,” Garry said in his UFC 315 media day interview. “I think me being here, they’re both a bit more frightened about me than their opponent. Because the truth is, I’ve shown back-to-back-to-back on short notice that I’ll fight anyone, anywhere, any time. And I know how good I am.”
Despite a pair of lackluster showings, ian Machado Garry is convinced he’s next in line
While Garry’s last two appearances inside the Octagon have been on relatively short notice, his performances left a lot to be desired. After surrendering the first loss of his MMA career to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December, the Irishman bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Carlos Prates in Kansas City.
However, despite walking away this his hand raised, ‘The Future’ was the recipient of significant backlash after being accused of evading Prates for most of the five-round affair and nearly getting finished in the final minutes.
Regardless, the W was still enough to move Garry into the No. 6 spot in the welterweight rankings, though he’s probably still behind Rakhmonov on the UFC’s short list for 170-pound title challengers.
