Ian Machado Garry is taking a page out of Conor McGregor’s book and predicting the exact outcome of his UFC 330 championship clash with Islam Makhachev.
“The Future” fully expects to be the new welterweight champion come Aug. 15, when he meets Makhachev in the Philadelphia main event. Garry is coming off of back-to-back wins over former champion Belal Muhammad and top contender Carlos Prates, and has lost just once in 11 UFC appearances. He not only plans to end Makhachev’s 16-fight win streak, but
promises there will be no doubt who is the better man that evening.
“Me, my ideal scenario, I want a fourth-round finish,” Garry said at a Matchroom Talent Agency signing press conference in Dublin on Tuesday. “I don’t want any early knockout, because then there’s ifs, buts, maybes, there’s excuses. I want four rounds of domination and in that fourth round, I’m going to tell everybody, I’m going to do it now, and then I’m going to go in and I’m going to finish him.
“I’m going to open the door, I’m going to walk him into my traps and then take his head clean off his shoulders.”
Garry has struggled to find his finishing touch in recent fights, with his last knockout taking place at UFC Charlotte in 2023 when he defeated Daniel Rodriguez in the first round. Eight of Garry’s first 12 pro victories came inside the distance.
The Irishman recently signed a management deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency, with the intention to boost his profile—and profits—as he heads into the biggest fight of his career. Garry has long dreamed of having the level of fame and influence that could convince the UFC to hold an event at Croke Park in Dublin. The UFC has not visited Dublin since an event at 3Arena in 2015 headlined by Paddy Holohan and Louis Smolka.
Matchroom is already promoting a Croke Park event on Sept. 5 headlined by boxing legend Katie Taylor’s retirement bout against Flora Pili, and Garry hopes he’s next to be granted the opportunity, ideally as a defending UFC champion.
“I remember going to Dublin games and it was 86,700,” Garry said. “It’s wild. The love in this country for sports and getting behind their own is massive. And I want to be the type of guy that brings the UFC back to Ireland. It’s been a long time. I’ve been carrying this flag for Irish MMA for a long, long time. With my next fight, I’m the most victorious Irishman in UFC history, I’ll have 11 wins, and I want to bring them back here.
“I’ve been saying it from Day 1. I am the next superstar of Irish MMA. I’m going to be carrying that second wave and I want to bring them back to Croke Park. I want to bring them back to Dublin. I want to bring them back wherever they think they can go, because these fans deserve it.”
