Ian Machado Garry showed up big at UFC 315. He was the backup fighter for the main event, a welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Garry earned that spot after stepping in on short notice to beat Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City.
Ian Machado Garry Acknowledges Those Behind His Victory
Prates was initially set to face Geoff Neal, whom Garry had already beaten. Prates came into the fight with four straight finishes, packing serious knockout power. But Garry took the challenge anyway and won, even though Prates almost finished him in the fifth round.
However, he prevailed relatively easily, even though the fifth round of the fight saw Prates almost secure a finish. After the fight, Garry immediately focused on the backup role for UFC 315, which he had bargained for as part of the short-notice assignment.
UFC 315 concluded the previous week with Della Maddalena becoming the new Welterweight champion. Garry found time to pay respect to his teammates, who helped him secure victory over the Pirates.
Yesterday, Garry shared an Instagram post, comprising 10 photos and a video. “Sitting back reflecting on what’s been a crazy few weeks. Never got a chance to publicly thank those on the matts who helped me prepare for victory. You guys were amazing. Was a pleasure to work with you all. Excited for more. Thank you,” Garry captioned the post.
He tagged several training partners, coaches, and fighters, including grapplers Mohammed Yousuf Nabi, Robert Diserens, Dominic Dillon, and Martin Hollis, striking coach Jason Strout, and MMA fighters Oban Elliott, Jack Grant, and Roan Crocker.
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Dana White recently confirmed that Islam Makhachev will be the next title challenger for the welterweight title. If Muhammad had won, Makhachev wouldn’t have moved up, and with Shavkat Rakhmonov’s return timeline not yet revealed, Garry had an outside chance of getting the next crack at the title.
The current scenario leaves Garry needing at least one more fighter before challenging the champion. Before Garry, Sean Brady had claimed a high-profile victory over Leon Edwards at UFC London, securing the top spot in the rankings, which he lost after Muhammad’s loss.
Michael Morales knocked out Gilbert Burns in the recent UFC Vegas 106 main event. For context, the current and former Welterweight champions got the crack at the title after defeating Burns.
Moreover, the upcoming matchup between Kamaru Usman, another former champion, and Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta will also produce a contender. Brady, Morales, and the winner of Usman vs Buckley will have to fight one more time before a title shot, and Garry seems to be the obvious choice for all.
Brady, also at UFC 315, had already expressed interest in a title eliminator fight against Garry. Even before, Buckley had wanted to fight “The Future”. Garry had already fought the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, and it won’t be surprising if he chooses to fight Morales, another undefeated fighter.