Ian Machado Garry is looking to deliver a memorable performance and showcase his abilities as he prepares to face fellow welterweight Carlos Prates this Saturday in Kansas City.
This fight against Prates marks Garry`s return after a narrow decision loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December, and he aims to strengthen his case for a shot at the UFC welterweight championship.
Garry, known as `The Future`, intends to secure a decisive win in the headline bout to rebuild momentum.
Speaking about his previous fight, Garry told Sky Sports MMA Club: “That [Shavkat fight] was so much fun and I enjoyed every second of it.” He added, “I enjoyed the short notice [call-up], the excitement preparing for this boogeyman that they called him.”
He expressed confidence in his current form and the upcoming fight: “I am far better than I believed I was, go show the world. I do not see Carlos Prates getting to the end of the second [round] and if he does, fair play to him. But then I`m not going to let him get past the third.”
This fight is happening just weeks before the current champion, Belal Muhammad, is set to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena, who stepped in after Rakhmonov was injured.
Despite the loss, Garry feels he should have been considered for the title shot against Muhammad.
He explained his frustration: “I feel like when you do a number one contender fight, and fair enough my hand didn`t get raised and I don`t believe I won the fight, I believe it was 3-2 to Shavkat. [However], when Shavkat can`t compete because of an injury to his knee that I absolutely caused in that fight. I may not have won the battle, but I won the war. [So,], to not even get a call [from the UFC] I felt was disrespectful.”
He added, “It irritated me that I didn`t even get the respect of a call to say, would you [fight Belal Muhammad for the UFC title]?”
His frustration escalated to anger, especially as he was overlooked in favor of Maddalena, who has recently dealt with injury issues.
“I was seething, just seething when I found out they were giving it to a guy that has been injured and hasn`t fought for a year. For me it was more of a respect thing,” he stated.
“I know what Jack [Maddalena] has done and what Jack can do in this division. It`s not against him, but the guy has been battling injury.”
With title implications riding on every future fight, Garry needs a dominant performance against Prates, who enters the bout on an impressive 11-fight winning streak.
Garry declared his plan: “April 26 when I knock out Carlos Prates, you`ll see [how I demand a title shot]. That`s my way of doing things, I don`t need to talk [constantly over social media]. I don`t need to say it to your face, but I`ll say it after when I`m on that microphone.”
He also emphasized his marketability: “The truth is [Maddalena] vs Belal isn`t as interesting as Machado Garry vs Belal and that`s the reality of the situation. I am far more interesting in and outside the octagon. There is going to be more people paying for pay-per-views and more people paying to be in that be in that arena [to] watch my main event.”
