After getting back in the win column in April, Ian Garry is eager to get back in the Octagon. Although “The Future” wishes he could compete on this weekend’s International Fight Week card, the No. 6 ranked welterweight is hopeful that he and the UFC can finalize the details of his next fight sooner rather than later.
During a live appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Garry spoke about his next fight. Despite nothing being confirmed yet, he has a meeting scheduled with the UFC to discuss things.
In the meantime, he’s also already agreed to fights with former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and No. 2-ranked contender Sean Brady.
“I’ve said yes to Belal and I’ve said yes to Sean Brady. I’ve said yes to those guys, whenever they want to do it. I’d fight Saturday. … I want to be active. I want to beat the best in the world.”
While Garry was confident going into his short-notice fight with Carlos Prates that a win would put him next in line for a crack at the title, with Islam Makhachev expected to fight for the belt before the end of the year, Garry’s now shifted his focus to securing his spot as the division’s No. 1 contender.
Looking at Sean Brady’s Recent Comments Regarding a Fight With Ian Garry
More than a month ago, Sean Brady predicted that he and Ian Garry were on a collision course.
As Brady explained during a May 12 appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, a fight between the two felt inevitable. The way he saw things at the time, if Islam Makhachev was moving up to 170, he and Garry might as well throw down for the No. 1 contender spot.
“We’re all going to have to fight. I’m going to have to fight Ian Garry eventually. Why not just do it now and get it out of the way, if I’m as good as I think I am?”
At the time, Belal Muhammad had just lost to Jack Della Maddalena two days prior, and there was speculation that Islam Makhachev would move up in weight.
The following day, Dana White announced that Makhachev wasn’t just moving up, but vacating the lightweight belt.
Based on the comments from both Brady and Garry, it sounds like it’s now a question of when a fight between the two will happen rather than a question of if it will happen.
Belal Muhammad Sets Sights on October Return Against Kamaru Usman
As Ian Garry revealed on Friday, he’s accepted fights with both Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady. Given that, it’s entirely possible that we end up seeing Garry throw down with “Bully B”, however, on the heels of Kamaru Usman’s win over Joaquin Buckley, the stage has now been set for a grudge match between the two former champs.
Before Usman’s win over Buckley, Muhammad called for a fight between the two in the fall given their physical altercation on the set of Usman’s podcast.
The stipulation, of course, was that Usman had to get past “Newmansa” first.
Although Usman’s win seemed to put he and Muhammad on a collision course, he downplayed the bout post-fight. As the former champ explained, if Muhammad doesn’t have the belt, there’s no reason for the two to fight.
Despite that, the UFC will likely attempt to cash-in on the potential grudge match between the two.
In addition to the hype surrounding the potential bout, it would also set the stage for a Garry-Brady fight.
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