Tag: Ian Garry

Ian Garry’s life has monumentally changed since he become the Cage Warriors welterweight champion earlier this year.

The next potential superstar out of Ireland beat Jack Grant to claim the vacant 170lb Cage Warriors title in June and was quickly snapped up by the UFC. The 23-year-old has since relocated from his native Dublin to Florida and begun training with the best fighters in the world at Sanford MMA. On November 6, he’ll make his promotional debut against Jordan Williams on arguably the biggest card of the year, UFC 268 at arguably the most prestigious sports arena in the world, Madison Square Garden.

During a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Garry spoke excitably about the many changes that have happened in his life this year.

“I’m taking every step in my stride. Life is good,” Garry said. “It’s crazy, it’s fast, it’s fun. I can’t not love what is happening. The fact that I’m making my (UFC) debut on the biggest card of the year. The fact that I’ve signed to the UFC, I’ve become a world champion. I’ve done everything I said I was going to do and now it’s just time to do it all over again.”

The undefeated prospect is intent on replicating his Cage Warriors form in the UFC Octagon and believes that will be enough to gain a legion of new fans.

“Obviously, it’s a bigger fan base, it’s a bigger stage, it’s a bigger organization. It’s like OK great. I’ve just gotta do exactly what I did in Cage Warriors but do it in the UFC and show people why I’m the f*cking best, why I have the hype, why people like watching me fight, why people believe stuff when I say it because it’s the trust. It’s because I go in there and I fight (and) every time I win.”

Do you think Ian Garry can be the next UFC superstar out of Ireland?

Ian Garry is very aware that he has plenty of time to achieve his goals in the UFC.

The 23-year-old prospect will make his debut at UFC 268 against Jordan Williams. All being well he’d love to get another fight in before the end of the year but such is his maturity ‘The Future’ says he will probably do the smart thing and sit out until the first quarter of 2022.

“Look, depending on how fast this fight finishes we’ll see what’s up,” Garry told LowKickMMA. “You know that December 11^th card (UFC 269) looks pretty tasty. So, maybe we could do a quick one at that but in reality and being smart I think the best decision is to probably wait until March 2022.”

Despite his young age, Garry is very aware of just how blessed he is to be living the life of his dreams and his immediate goal is to keep things exactly as they are.

“I just want to maintain adventure, freedom and happiness in life,” Garry said. “I’m very blessed to be fighting for the UFC and living out the dream that I’ve dreamed of. In the sense of, I get to fight for a living, and I get to bring enjoyment to my friends and family and have them be proud of me because I’m on an amazing journey that not many people are blessed to be on.

There’s no doubt Garry is gunning for UFC gold. However, the Dublin native insists he will not rush towards the welterweight rankings or a title shot. The seven-fight professional says his undefeated record means too much to him and he will do everything in his power to protect it while he learns his craft on the sport’s biggest stage.

“The only thing I want to do is improve, get better and enjoy life. For me, undefeated is a massive thing for me,” Garry said. “(I want to) remain undefeated, knock people out, put on statements. I don’t care if it takes me four years, five, six, seven, eight years to get to that title.

“I’m very young, man. I’m 23. There’s not a lot of 23-year-olds in the UFC that are undefeated that have the potential and hype that I do,” Garry added. “I’m going to take my time. I’m not going to milk this cow dry. I’m going to take my time and enjoy every second of it because I’m going to be a UFC champion. If I rush this then the longevity might not be there but If I take my time the skillset gets better, the confidence gets better, I become more mature, I become more of a businessman. I can see how everything works. I get used to the UFC structure. I get used to everything and I just become unbeatable.”

Do you think Ian Garry will become a UFC champion?

Ian Garry is feeling excited and confident ahead of his UFC debut.

The 23-year-old is booked to face Jordan Williams at UFC 268 which will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 6.

Garry believes the fact his promotional debut has been booked on arguably the biggest card of the year is evidence that the UFC considers him a potential superstar.

“They know what’s up,” Garry told LowKickMMA. “It lets me know they know what’s up. They are putting me on the biggest card of the year. They are making me debut at Madison Square Garden. They are doing this right. They know they’ve got their hands on something special and they’re not gonna throw it away. I mean, that’s magical in itself that they know how good I am and what I can do.

‘The Future’ is particularly excited about fighting at Madison Square Garden.

“Dude, it’s insane to be fighting in the most iconic sporting venue in the world,” Garry said of fighting at MSG. “When you look at the names, Ali, Mayweather, McGregor, Michael Jordan – it’s just history. The amount of history in that stadium is just ridiculous and now you’re going to add Ian Garry to that list. People won’t realize it now but in a couple of years when my career is done they’ll go, ‘Oh my god! That’s where he started.’ The history will be there.”

Garry gave props to his UFC 268 opponent for being game, tough and powerful but says when fight night comes he will simply be better than Jordan Williams.

“He seems game, he seems tough and he hits hard but that’s the last thing you wanna do when you’re with me is be tough. If you’re durable against me, I’ve said this a couple of times, it’s going to get you hurt because I’m going to find gaps, I’m going to find holes. No matter where it is. On the feet (or) on the ground, I’m going to beat you, and I’m not going to hold back. So, he’s tough, he hits hard and obviously, I’ve got to respect that like every single opponent I come up against but I’m just better. It’s just a case of me going in there and doing my job. I wish him the best but I’ve got to go in there and get rid of him and do it in style.

“I’ll be annoyed if I don’t (finish Jordan Williams) but at the end of the day, a win is a win,” Garry added. “I’ll be annoyed if I don’t finish him. I’m always hunting for the finish. The only two decisions of my career are because of injuries that have happened in the fight and that’s just me changing up the fight.”

Do you think Ian Garry will keep his perfect record going at UFC 268?