Ian Machado Garry wants to fight Stephen Thompson in his retirement fight.
The 25-year-old spoke with Givemesport.com about his desire to be “Wonderboy’s” last challenger inside the octagon.
“I want to fight Wonderboy out of nothing but love and respect for the dude,” Garry said. “I think he’s an awesome person. I’ve obviously had the pleasure of training with him briefly leading up to my last fight.”
“We finally got to see him put in there against a striker in Kevin Holland at UFC Orlando. That was just such a fun fight to watch,” Garry said. “It’s not about him retiring. He just had one of the best performances of his career. But I would love to be that retirement fight for him when he feels the time is right.”
Thompson last fought on December’s UFC on ESPN card where he finished Kevin Holland in the fourth round. The TKO performance earned him a fight of the night bonus. The 39-year-old recently shot down retirement rumors and insisted that he was still chasing UFC gold.
Ian Machado Garry Wants A Shot Against A UFC Legend
Garry (10-0) is a rising contender in the welterweight division. The undefeated Irish star last defeated Gabe Green at UFC 276. Since signing with the UFC in 2021, Garry has gone 3-0 inside the octagon. Before that, he was a former Cage Warriors champion.
The Kill Cliff FC fighter believes a matchup with Thompson would be a “perfect farewell” for the MMA legend. He says it’s “Wonderboy’s” decision on when and if he wants to retire. Nonetheless, the Irish star says Thompson has “done so much for the sport”.
“Obviously being friends with Wonderboy, I think it would be such a cool opportunity for both of us. He gets the perfect farewell whenever it may be. We can both headline a card together. I know people would want to see that.“I want to make sure his last fight is a striker. I don’t want to see him being thrown in there with another wrestler. I don’t think that would be fair for him. It’s all about putting on a show for the fans. I think I’d be too fast for him.” (h/t Givemesport.com)