Ian Machado Garry has not yet won the undisputed title in the UFC, but already plans to become the greatest in the division. Garry does have the time to achieve greatness in the division, as “The Future” is just 27 years old.
Georges St-Pierre, with nine title defenses, Kamaru Usman, and Matt Hughes, with five, are consensus names when the GOAT debate at welterweight comes up. Hughes defended it two more times during his second title reign. For Garry to be the greatest, the impressive records of these legends must be beaten.
Ian Machado Garry Makes Bold Prediction on His MMA Career
In a five-round co-main event, Ian Machado Garry lost his undefeated record to Shavkat Rakhmonov in his previous fight at UFC 310. Next for Garry is a fight night headliner against Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City.
Prates is on an 11-fight winning streak, 10 of which are finishes; five were in the UFC. However, it seems Garry is planning for things much further after his fight against the Brazilian. He made a bold prediction, hinting at leaving behind as significant a legacy in the welterweight division as Georges St-Pierre or Kamaru Usman.
“Look, at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, I’m gonna be the welterweight GOAT, right? I want to fight six times a year, every two months. Give me the next best guy,” Garry told Full Send MMA.
“I’m going to change this welterweight division. 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,” Garry added.
As for his immediate plans after UFC Kansas City, Garry said he has already booked a flight to Canada to witness UFC 315 live.
Belal Muhammad is set to defend his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event. Garry plans to step in on short notice to save the card if anything goes wrong.
UFC Legend Gives Prediction for Ian Machado Garry vs Carlos Prates
Ian Machado Garry will be looking to bounce back from his defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov with a victory over Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City. Michael Bisping, the former UFC Middleweight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer, recently previewed the fight and gave his prediction on his YouTube show.
“I think Carlos Prates probably wins this fight. Okay, my official prediction is that he gets a knockout. I think he gets it done,” Bisping said. “He hits harder. There’s something about his striking. It is beautiful. He’s got really, really powerful strikes. He sets it up, and he’s not just a puncher. He’s not a one-trick pony.”
In addition to Prates’ punches, Bisping mentioned that the Brazilian’s knees and kicks are also powerful. However, “The Count” doesn’t think Garry is outmatched, citing the Irishman’s MMA record, which only has a single loss.
Though Prates has six losses, Bisping pointed out that he has not lost in quite a long time. The 46-year-old also compared Prates and Garry’s fight against a familiar opponent, Neil Magny.
While Garry dominated Magny for three rounds, winning by unanimous decision, Prates knocked out the veteran fighter in the first round.