Ian Machado Garry has responded to the continued callouts from Michael Morales.
Morales (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) extended his undefeated run in the Octagon last Saturday night with a first-round knockout of former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC Vegas 106.
Speaking after the fight, the Ecuadorian prospect once again mentioned Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) as a potential next opponent. This isn’t the first time the Irishman has been at the top of Morales’ wish list when discussing future matchups.
"If I get the opportunity to fight (Machado Garry), I'll welcome that”, Morales told MMA Junkie back in 2023. “He's someone I want to fight. If I get the opportunity to fight him, that would be great. I really dislike that guy. There's nothing I like about him, but it's not whatever I like or dislike, it's whatever the UFC wants for me next.”
Speaking during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier this week, Machado Garry dismissed the 25-year-old’s callout.
"I don't believe I've ever met the bloke," Machado Garry told Helwani. "But if he has a problem, keep the problem. It doesn't bother me. I don't believe I've ever met him, said a word to him, or anything at all."
"I'll Fight Him When I'm Champion"
Morales’ victory over Gilbert Burns marked the biggest win of his career so far, and Machado Garry—who has trained alongside “Durinho” at Kill Cliff in Miami—watched the fight closely.
"I watched the fight against Gilbert. Gilbert is a good friend of mine, so I have to watch it," Machado Garry said. "And yeah, he did what he needed to do. I thought Gilbert looked good early on. I thought he looked a lot more energetic than we've seen him in the past, and against a bigger guy, he looked good early on. But Morales did what he needed to do, and that's the fighter in him."
While Machado Garry appeared unfazed by Morales’ callout, he believes the two will likely share the Octagon at some point in the future.
"I'm going to fight him at some point in time because when I'm the champion, I'm going to beat everyone that's next contender," Machado Garry said.
