Undefeated welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry has been very vocal about the contenders in the division that refuse to fight him.
When he couldn't get booked to face a name that is ranked above him, the Irishman agreed to fight down the rankings by headlining the UFC Fight Night card in Tampa on December 14 against Joaquin Buckley.
However, one phone call completely changed the layout of the 170-pound division with the news that Belal Muhammad was out of his title defence at UFC 310.
Having already told the UFC that he would step in if either Muhammad or Shavkat Rakhmonov had to withdraw, the promotion already knew who to call.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Garry said that his decision to fight Buckley was because he loves fighting, not because the match-up got him fired up:
"Yes, a little bit because as I've said, all I've done in my career is win. I'm 8-0 in the UFC, 15-0 in general, I'm a former world champion in a different organization, I've come in here and I've done everything that I've needed to do to progress in my career and fight guys up the rankings that get me one step closer to a world title opportunity. I don't believe that me going out there and running through Joaquin Buckley does the same as me going out there and running through Colby or Usman or Shavkat or any of those guys. There's a different level."
With the switch-up that then took place, there's a case to be made that Garry now faces a much more difficult opponent in the undefeated Rakhmonov with less time to prepare.
This is not the way that the former Cage Warriors champion sees it and if anything, he's delighted that he's now fighting a week earlier against an opponent that will undoubtedly bring that fire out of him.
"I'm over the moon. I could sit here and say, 'I wanted more time to prepare,' but the truth is I work best with speed. When you give me the smallest amount of time to work for an opponent, I'm going to go out there and do what's natural and so what's free to me. Just go out there and have fun and be me. Shavkat's phenomenal, I respect him, I respect everything that he brings to this match-up but I know I'm well capable of going out there and putting him in the dirt. I know I'm well capable of going out there, finishing him, beating him up and doing it beautifully. So for me, I get to go out here on December 7th at UFC 310 and make a statement to myself and the rest of the MMA community that I am one of the greatest fighters this sport has ever seen and I'm going to prove it by doing it against a guy that many think is the boogeyman."
Watch the full interview below:
