‘The Future’ is willing to fight down the rankings if that means he can compete at UFC 303. But finding an opponent with less than seven weeks notice is proving hard.
Ian Machado Garry is on the hunt for a UFC 303 opponent after his first choice, Colby Covington, turned down a juicy 170-pound showdown that would pair so well with Conor McGregor’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event.
Garry and Covington engaged in an extended back-and-forth online, which seemed to be leading up to a big fight next month (June 29, 2024) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But, then Covington started suggesting Garry wasn’t “serious” enough to fight, and now the rising Irish contender says the official answer on that match-up is, “No.”
“Colby is officially out,” Garry said in a new interview with TalkSPORT. “He sustained an injury in December and he medically won’t be cleared until September. I don’t believe a f—ing second of it. I think he’s running. I don’t think he wants anything to do with me, and he’s running. But, that’s where I’m at.”
The decision from “Chaos” is frustrating to Garry because it likely cost him a super high-profile co-main slot at UFC 303 (just under PPV king, McGregor).
“The truth is, if it’s not Colby then I don’t believe it’s going to be co-main,” he said. “I don’t believe they’ll give the co-main if it’s not the Colby Covington fight. That was the fight I wanted, the fight that sells and drives that anticipation.”
But, Garry is determined to fight on that card against someone … and he’s willing to fight down the rankings to do it.
@ufc called me for a fight I declined cause mf they offered got Herps but this easy money #ComePickYoMansUp https://t.co/AQG6fDCMU0
— Joaquin New Mansa Buckley (@Newmansa94) May 13, 2024
“There’s been other people that have been offered, and they’re running, too,” he said. “They’re all coming up with excuses. At the end of the day, whoever wants to show up across for me in that Octagon on June 29th. I’m sick of this ranking stuff.
“I’m in a position where everyone above me is injured and then Leon [Edwards] and Belal [Muhammad] are facing off against each other,” Garry continued. “I have no interest in fighting below me, but I’m kind of in a position where I have no choice, other than to wait. And last thing I want do is wait. I want to be active. I want fight. I want to compete.
“I’ve said, ‘Yes,’” he added about a fight against Michael “Venom” Page. “I’ve said ‘yes’ to that man. Him and his coaches are deciding because he feels a bit heavy. He’s a bit heavy to make to make weight in seven weeks’ time, but I’ve said ‘yes.’ They’ve offered me Colby. I’ve said ‘yes’ to ‘MVP.’ I’ve said ‘yes’ to Sean Brady. I’ve said ‘yes’ to I don’t even know his name, the Uzbekistani guy, if he had won. I’ve said ‘yes’ to Joaquin [Buckley].”
Hopefully, someone says “Yes” back … and soon. UFC 303 is less than seven weeks away, so the clock is ticking for Garry to find a dance partner.
All things considered … this should now work?
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