Fast-rising UFC welterweight prospect Ian Garry kept his undefeated record intact by knocking around Neil Magny on the UFC 292 pay-per-view (PPV) main card last weekend in Boston, and used his post-fight speech with Joe Rogan to call for an all-striking showdown opposite two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson.
“Wonderboy” quickly rejected the callout, according to UFC President Dana White, but Garry believes the fight will materialize anyway.
“I am excited to fight ‘Wonderboy’ and I believe that this matchup will materialize,” Garry told MMA Fighting. “I believe God works in very, very beautiful ways, and for some reason, I end up getting everything I want. So my energy, everything that I have is absolutely expecting that ‘Wonderboy’ fight to be the contract put down in front of me soon. I’m just going to sit here and wait. He said no yesterday, today’s a different day… It isn’t malice, there will be nothing but respect. I just want to go out there and prove I’m the best striker in the world, and to do that, I have to beat ‘Wonderboy.’”
Thompson bailed on the UFC 291 card earlier this year in Salt Lake City after his opponent failed to make weight. “Wonderboy” is hoping to make his Octagon return as part of the UFC 295 lineup later this year in New York against an opponent to be named, but the promotion has yet to rubber-stamp his request.
“I believe for ‘Wonderboy,’ there is just as much pull for me to fight ‘Wonderboy’ as there is for ‘Wonderboy’ to fight me,” Garry continued. “I’m known. I’m undefeated. I’m a prospect that everyone is talking about as potentially being a future champion. I’m a striker. So ‘Wonderboy’ knows I’m going not try to grab his legs and wrestle him. He knows that I want to prove I’m the better striker. So he knows what he’s getting into. Why not take it? Why not go out there, say yes, sign the dotted line, fight me over five rounds and prove who the best striker in this division is. The only reason he would say no is because he knows who’s better.”
Thompson has yet to respond to Garry’s latest comments.