UFC president Dana White has unveiled his next move following the incredible White House lawn blockbuster – and on the eve of what could be the unveiling of his next Irish superstar.
Long considered something of a Conor McGregor protégé, Dublin’s Ian Machado Garry is now looking to earn the biggest win of his hyped career against reigning UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev in Philadelphia this Sunday.
Like McGregor, Garry is a polarising character.
Dubbed ‘The Future’, he comes into Sunday’s UFC 330 headliner amid plenty of accusations about not only trying to play the bad guy, but with others questioning his polarising lifestyle and interview takes — including that women should rule the world.
UFC 330: Makhachev v Machado Garry | SUN 16 AUGUST 11AM AEST | UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev will return to the octagon for another tittle defence, where he takes on Ian Machado Garry in Philadelphia. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Of course, all that criticism would be largely silenced with a win over Makhachev — the Dagestani bogeyman who has twice bested Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski and then won a second gold strap against Jack Della Maddalena.
Asked by Fox Sports Australia this week if a win over Makhachev will finally see even his biggest critics recognising his talents, Garry replied: “I don’t care about other people recognising it.
“I care for it.
“What I’ve already one in this sport is phenomenal.
“I was a 16-year-old kid with a dream in Dublin, watching UFC highlights and telling myself that that eventually I can be one of the greatest fighters on the planet.
“And now this weekend, I get to go out there against the number one fighter on the planet in Islam Makhachev.
“This weekend, I become the second Irish UFC champion. I take the most victories as an Irishman in the UFC.
“I cement my legacy as not only one of the greatest fighters in my country, but one of the greatest fighters this generation has seen.”
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Soon after, Garry continued: “Right now, people are saying Islam Makhachev is on the cusp of breaking Anderson Silva’s win streak, and if he does that we need to have serious talks about him being in the GOAT conversation.
“They’re saying he’s X, he’s Y, he’s all these things. But it just means when I win this weekend, keep that same energy.
“When I beat Islam Makhachev, keep the same energy and know that Ian Machado Garry is great.”
Meanwhile, and while speaking himself in fight week, White revealed his team is already working on their next big event to follow on from UFC cards at both the White House and The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Asked on the Pat McAfee Show about following on from his June event in the backyard of US president Donald Trump, White revealed: “Now my head of production Craig Borsari is so cocky after he absolutely killed that event, we are talking about something right now that he came up with — this was his idea — and I love it.
“I have to do some more ground work on it.”
While White didn’t tease anything further, and stressed the White House card would never be bettered, McAfee offered a suggestion to do both.
“So cool you guys are going to the moon,” he joked. “You guys are going to go fight people on the moon.”
Pushed on competing with his recent Washington DC showcase card, White continued: “There will never be anything like the White House again.
“That night, we already had high expectations for it and I was blown away. It’s the greatest thing that I’ve ever been a part of. Being there live was amazing.”
UFC 330: Makhachev v Machado Garry | SUN 16 AUGUST 11AM AEST | UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev will return to the octagon for another tittle defence, where he takes on Ian Machado Garry in Philadelphia. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
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Elsewhere with Garry, and when quizzed on the criticism around his character on the Spinning Backfist MMA Show, he replied: “I couldn’t care less.
“Ahead of my fight with Belal Muhammad in Qatar, I walked out to boos.
“[But then] go back and listen to the audio 30 seconds into the fight — ‘Let’s go, Garry! Let’s go!’
“This sport is a pantomime. I couldn’t care less what people think of me. What I care about is becoming the champion of the world and proving that I was right.
“That the dream I had as a 16-year-old growing up in Dublin, Ireland, I fulfill that dream.
“What anyone else thinks about me, it’s irrelevant.
“My little boy is going to be front row when I win that belt.
“I couldn’t care what anyone else on this planet has to say about me or thinks about me. I want to see his smile. I want to see him and my wife. I want to give him the biggest cuddle I possibly can, and say, ‘Daddy did it!’ That’s all that matters to me.”
Garry then stressed the focus for Sunday’s headliner was all about him.
“This fight camp, I have been so focused on me and everything I want to do to be the best in the world,” he said.
“Not what Islam can do. I know Islam. I know Islam’s route to victory.
“I know what he has to do to try and get his hand raised this fight. It’s very simple.
“What I want to do is be the best version of me, so I can cause him the most frustration, the most irritation, and I can have fun.”