Ian Garry is one of the welterweight division’s brightest prospects, and many would like to know who he’s fighting next.
Don’t include Garry in those who are curious.
Now 2-0 as a pro and 10-0 in the UFC after winning a unanimous decision against Darian Weeks at UFC 273 this past Saturday, “The Future” is poised to be a major player at 170 pounds for the foreseeable future. Although strategic booking can help ensure success, Garry does not see any need to be a matchmaker.
“I’m in a position where I’ve got all the hype,” Garry said on The MMA Hour. I’m the star kid everyone is talking about. It’s not my goal to put on incredible fights or knock out people. For me, it’s a matter of letting UFC do their thing. The UFC will put on a match they desire to watch that excites the fans. I don’t care if it’s another newbie that they want me to beat up or a guy whose been around the division for years and they want to see me tested, I don’t care. I’m gonna go in there and do what I do, which is show up and win.
“I’m a competitor, I win. It doesn’t matter who is in front of the cage. It’s about me. There’s a reason I’ve been on two UFC pay-per-view cards. There’s a reason I’ve been so highly hyped. Because I turn up, I fight and do my best in the cage. I’m open to any and all who want to come my way .”
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Garry signed with UFC. He won a vacant Cage Warriors title in June. After making a big splash with his promotion debut, he knocked out Jordan Williams in the first round at UFC 268.. He had to go the distance to defeat Weeks, but was still pleased at having picked up another victory.
“An ‘A’ because I won, and that’s what I do — I win,” Garry said when asked to grade his sophomore performance. “Whether it was the cleanest performance or whether it was a sloppy performance, a win’s a win, and that inevitably is on my career when you look at it now, it’s 9-0. It’s 9-0. And you know what’s better than 9-0? 10-0. It’s coming soon.”
Two judges scored the fight 30-27 for Garry on Saturday, so even though the fight lacked standout moments he’s viewing the experience as a major positive both due to becoming more used to the ebb and flow of fight week and because he had his hand raised in the end.
Garry currently trains with the star-studded Sanford MMA gym in Florida, and he’s eager to build on his first three-round UFC fight, even though he feels he showed an array of tools against Weeks.
“I’m much happier with this performance [than my UFC debut] because it shows my overall game,” Garry said. It shows, 15 that I am fresh at the end. I don’t know if you watched it back, but if you watched it live and you see me in between Rounds 2 and 3 I was laughing and joking with my corner. That’s how I live. I had a smile, we had a joke about each other. It’s something I enjoy doing and it is a blessing to be able to perform in front of thousands of people. I was happy with the performance, because it showcased so much of who I am.
“It demonstrated my takedown defense and it also showed my footwork. It showed that I was able to see the gap between my feet. It was easy to find gaps, and then I used what I knew worked or didn’t. I won every time. This shows how far I have come in the short time that I was at Sanford. This shows me just how far I still have to go. I am always excited to return to the gym .”
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Assuming Garry doesn’t have any serious post-fight injuries, it is possible for him to return in the summer. This would be during UFC’s International Fight Week, Las Vegas. The annual event is scheduled to take place from June 27-July 3, with UFC 276 being hosted at T-Mobile Arena on July 2.
Even the option of fighting closer to home on a U.K. card doesn’t entice Garry as much as the chance to make his debut in the fight capital of the world.
” I feel that it allows me to slow down my body,” Garry stated. “Obviously, going into a fight camp, a weight camp, a fight itself, not that I’m injured or I got hurt or anything like that but just kind of give my body time to just come down a little bit and then get back to the gym, sit down with my coaches in the video room, watch the fight and see what they want me to work on and how we can improve from here.
” I feel that there is enough time for me to make a complete change in my life and shape around what we discuss. This will help me move forward. It feels like it’s the right time. It’s a dream of mine to fight in Vegas. The fact that International Fight Week is happening .”
makes it more appealing.
