Ian Machado Garry isn’t going to get an immediate rematch from Islam Makhachev, even if the young Irish fighter believes he’d beat Makhachev handily in a second bout. But that’s okay, because Garry is ready to face one of the biggest, scariest guys at welterweight in order to get his name back in the title picture.
Garry is coming off a decision loss to Makhachev at UFC 330 that saw him defeated 49–46, 49–46, and 48–47 on the scorecards. That doesn’t quite capture the difficulty he gave Islam: avoiding
takedowns, getting back to his feat, and battering the champ’s face through five rounds. According to “The Future,” he lost that fight due to one mistake in the fifth round, and he wouldn’t make that mistake again.
He has no problem convincing himself of that, but he’ll have to convince UFC CEO Dana White, who was extremely critical of Garry’s chummy behavior during the Makhachev fight. White didn’t just criticize Garry’s performance at the post-fight press conference, but at multiple other press conferences following the event. If Garry wants to get back in the contender’s circle, he’ll have to do something big.
“For me there’s only one fight that makes sense right now, and that’s Michael Morales,” Garry told Eze Talks Sports. “When I beat him, I’m the only one who deserves a title shot. Even though Islam and me have just fought.”
Behind-the-scenes chatter has Makhachev fighting Carlos Prates next, although Morales could also get the call should there be any issues booking Prates. But Garry has a win over Prates, so he clearly wouldn’t mind seeing “The Nightmare” win the title.
“Whether Islam wins or Carlos Prates wins the next fight, that’s two massive rematches,” Garry said. “So I go out there and I finish Michael Morales, get my hand raised, it’s undeniable that I’m right back up there for a title shot.”
Garry has never shied away from accepting the toughest fights at welterweight to claw his way to the top. He was the only man to solve the Michael “Venom” Page puzzle, nearly beat Shavkat Rakhmonov in a late replacement fight, and then beat Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad to secure his shot against Islam Makhachev.
Even if his goodwill with the UFC is low after too much hugging and high fiving with Makhachev (and an affiliation with Eddie Hearn), a win over Michael Morales would be a statement that he’s still a force at the top of the division and not going anywhere.
