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Ian Garry has long wanted to challenge for the gold and prove his worth in his weight. He has made significant headway in claiming his stake on the 170-pound title and a match vs. Islam Makhachev. Bad news for ‘The Future’, the champ has largely remained uninterested in the challenge, so far.
The Irishman recently defeated former 170-pound king Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 265 – aka UFC Qatar – and doubled down. Before that, Ian Garry went to war with top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, who has been highly touted as the next contender for the gold.
Both Islam Makhachev and his team rep are angling for a legacy fight against UFC Welterweight great Kamaru Usman, despite advice to the contrary. Machado Garry, though, remains optimistic that he’d defeat the Dagestani and beat him out for the ‘No. 1 pound-for-pound on the planet’ honors. If, or more like ‘when’, he does so, he won’t be allowing any excuses.
There’s gonna be no excuses from anyone on the planet, …When I beat him, I have beaten the greatest pound-for-pound fighter on the planet right now. Your excuses are all finished – I’ll be the number one pound-for-pound on the planet; …I’ll be the champion of the world, and then we can start the aggressive defenses.
Ian Machado Garry via his IG
“The Future” might need one more win in the box, given the champ’s indifference. Some have billed the high-profile loss against the highly touted Shavkat might have hampered his chances, but that doesn’t stand anymore. Garry (17-1) is on back-to-back steady performances against Carlos Prates and already took the Muhammad matchup away from Rakhmonov. Ranked #3 on the Athletes’ Listings at 170 pounds, he is ready for gold.
Consequently, a relatively new student at Team Chute Boxe – Diego Lima, Garry thinks he can get it done. There have also been postulated theories of Makhachev being a big LW but small WW and how he’d fare, but he held his own at UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev. 6′ 3″, and 170 lbs, Machado Garry further said on his IG that when he beats the champ, the ‘size’ excuses won’t float.
Flying too high or not enough? Ian Garry won’t take your size excuse if he gets to be champ
Islam Makhachev has run through every name in his way for a long-lasting UFC streak. The former 155-pound king and Eagles MMA Southpaw is 6-0 in title stints and is currently at the helm of the 170-pound weight class.
Towering at 5′ 10″ with a good 70.5″ striking reach, Makhachev has found success against those like Jack Della Maddalena, kickboxer Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier, and others. But as middleweight Dricus Du Plessis once deterred, a big lightweight is still small at weights above.
For now, that has not slowed the roll for the dominant Dagestani and #1 pound-for-pound on the list. But Ian Garry considers that heads will roll and excuses like he ‘was small for the division anyways’ will be plenty if he defeats the sitting champ.
Your excuses are all finished. There is none. Don’t look for them, don’t pick on them – [Makhachev’s] a big dude…[But] there’s no excuse when I win the world title. End of, done. They all look for something. They all want that claim, ’Oh, you know, it was this, it was that.‘ No, it couldn’t have been you. It couldn’t have been that Ian’s just better than you.
Ian Machado Garry further said
Those like Sean Brady once claimed Ian Garry’s ‘whiny’ titular demands won’t stick as his only claim to fame was lasting against Shavkat (who’s otherwise a prolific finisher, and had a 100% finish rate). Brady’s comments cannot be catapulted into a rivalry, as he lost to Michael Morales at UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev.
But Morales included, a few names are vying for the top contender status. Rakhmonov is still out and unbooked and even the champ considers his first defense of the gold won’t be against him. Garry might soon find himself in a hard-locked battle with a top name for the top spot. And if and when he does win, he’d be that closer to realizing gold. Only time will tell if his predictions about how the Islam Makhachev scrap goes will stand.
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