Having fallen agonizingly short in his last outing at UFC 310 in December against Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), the prevailing sentiment heading into 2025 was that Ian Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) had proven his championship mettle in that bout and could now be considered a legitimate contender in the UFC welterweight division.
Taking that fight on short notice—and becoming the first fighter to make "Nomad" look beatable—significantly boosted the young Irishman's stock. Many believed he might find himself in a No. 1 contender fight the next time he walked to the Octagon.
"The Future" turned heads again earlier this month by accepting another short-notice bout, this time against one of the division's rising stars, Carlos Prates (21-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC), in a matchup set to headline the UFC Fight Night card in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 26.
Having enhanced his reputation with his performance against Rakhmonov, Garry’s decision to take on the welterweight division’s 13th-ranked contender certainly raised some eyebrows. However, the Dubliner sees the move as part of a calculated plan.
"I think there are guys in the top five who don't have as much hype as Carlos Prates is right now", Machado Garry told Andy Stevenson of Severe MMA earlier this week. "I think the UFC loves him. The fans love him. There's character about him. There's just this something that's interesting about him. Let alone his fight style is fun.
"So, for me, I'm like. Alright, let's go. I'm going to go out, use you as an example, show that there are levels. There's just plain and simply levels to this game, and he is not on my level. I'm going to go out there. I'm going to dog walk (him). I'm going to do anything that I absolutely please to (him), because I can and I will, and then I'll call for the title, and I'll go back up the rankings, and I'll beat another guy that people are turning around and saying 'no' to.
"I'll say 'yes' to him. I'll say 'yes' to him on short notice, and then I'll go get what's mine, and it's that belt, and I'll bring it home to Dublin, Ireland, baby."
Prates enjoyed a sensational debut year inside the Octagon in 2024, racking up four consecutive knockout wins to break into the welterweight top 15. While he and his "Fighting Nerds" teammates—Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, and Caio Borralho—have been carving out a reputation as some of the most dangerous prospects in the UFC of late, Machado Garry believes that not only will he handle the threat "The Nightmare" brings, but he’ll do it in style.
Prates enjoyed a sensational debut year inside the Octagon in 2024, racking up four consecutive knockout wins to break into the welterweight top 15. While he and his "Fighting Nerds" teammates—Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, and Caio Borralho—have been carving out a reputation as some of the most dangerous prospects in the UFC of late, Machado Garry believes that not only will he handle the threat "The Nightmare" brings, but he’ll do it in style.
"It's his left hand, that's all he's got", Machado Garry responded when asked what dangers Prates brings to the table. "He's got a left hand. And it comes out of nowhere and it's sneaky. But he's not going to touch me with it. I don't see any world where he's coming out of that octagon and hasn't been unconscious five minutes before."
