Ian Machado Garry earned a lot of appreciation from the MMA community after his victory over Carlos Prates at the main event of UFC Kansas City.
One of the commentators who was in the booth during Garry’s fight recently detailed how the Irishman turned him into a fan on that night.
Ian Machado Garry’s Considerate Gesture Won Over Paul Felder
Ian Machado Garry often comes across as brash in the lead-up to his UFC fights, unafraid to throw subtle jabs at his opponents—though he’s careful not to cross the line. However, the 27-year-old tends to leave any animosity in the octagon, with most of his bouts ending on a note of mutual respect.
Former UFC lightweight and current commentator Paul Felder was cageside alongside Laura Sanko and Brendan Fitzgerald for Garry’s fight against Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City. Felder recently shared how ‘The Future’ earned his admiration that night through an unexpected act of humility.
Speaking on a recent episode of Michael Bisping’s BELIEVE YOU ME podcast, Felder recalled Garry approaching him post-fight to apologize for not delivering the kind of performance Felder might have hoped for—a gesture that made a lasting impression.
Felder disclosed one of his pre-fight conversations with Garry where he told him that he wanted the fight to last at least “two rounds.” Garry obliged, saying, “I’m gonna finish him in the third round for you guys”.
‘The Future’ may have failed to back his words, but he made Felder his fan by apologizing to him amidst his fight. Felder detailed Garry’s act, saying, “After the third round was finished, cageside, he looks over at me and he goes, ‘Sorry’. He had the wherewithal in the moment in that fight to remember what he said and then look to where the commentators are and say sorry.”
Felder also mentioned how Garry touched on this topic during his Octagon interview. He stated that the 27-year-old “won him over” with this act. Felder said, “I never had disrespect for him, but I never really worked with him. I don’t think I’ve called his fights before either… [But] I got to say, he, kind of, won me over in a lot of ways.”
Garry also revealed the blueprint for his next three fights after his victory against Prates at UFC Kansas City. His new fan, Felder, might be hoping for his plans to materialize.