Ian Machado Garry has been taking shots at his rivals in the UFC welterweight division.
Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is set to face Carlos Prates (21-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the main event at UFC Kansas City this Saturday. The Irishman currently holds the No. 7 spot in the 170-pound rankings, having secured victories over Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Michael "Venom" Page since breaking into the top 15.
Speaking at the pre-fight media day ahead of this weekend's bout, "The Future" took the opportunity to throw some shade at a few of his welterweight rivals.
"Joaquin Buckley barely speaks fucking English", Garry said during an interview with Full Send, "and Sean Brady looks like he's out of Lord of the Rings. So no one gives a f**k about these guys.
"Neil Magny's soul. Here, look. There's his soul (opens hand). You watched that fight, right? Yeah, Neil Magny's never been the same since I took his soul. It's right there. He's in the bottom of my hand."
Garry has had a complicated relationship with the UFC fanbase at times. The Dubliner spent much of the past two years living and training in São Paulo, Brazil, alongside former UFC champion Charles Oliveira, refining his skill set before showcasing his improved grappling in exciting bouts against "MVP" and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Having earned the respect of many fans thanks to his willingness to consistently step up and face some of the welterweight division’s most dangerous opponents on short notice, Garry now believes that the majority of the UFC fanbase has changed its perception of him.
"I've got the whole of Ireland behind me. I've got Brazil. I've got f**king America in love with me and divided and hate with me because of other things, but at the end of the day, I fight; I'm a fighter who fights the best in the world."
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is scheduled to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the main event at UFC 315, which takes place just two weeks after Garry faces Prates this weekend.
With the title fight happening in such close promixity, Garry revealed he is planning on going to the event in Montreal, Canada on May 10th and hopes to weigh in as an alternate, shpuld something happen to either Muhammad or JDM.
"My flights are already booked", Garry said. "Carlos Prates is going to get his ass handed to him, and I'm going straight to Montreal because that belt is inevitably being wrapped around my waist.
"Look, at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, I'm going to be the welterweight GOAT, right? I want to win that belt, I want to fight six times in one year, every two months. Give me the next best guy, give me the next best guy. I'm going to change this welterweight division, and I'm going to make it active. I'm going to make it exciting, and there's a whole new pot of talent coming up that I'm excited to face. Enjoy Saturday night, folks."
