UFC welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry is excited to get back into the cage for his next fight, but admits he has some concerns about the safety of his family.
On Dec. 16 at UFC 296, Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) meets Kill Cliff teammate Vicente Luque on the main card of the final pay-per-view event of the year. It’s the biggest fight of the 26-year-old’s undefeated career thus far, but one that comes with some worry due to recent online interactions with some of his UFC peers.
“I’m excited for UFC 296,” Garry told TNT Sports. “I think it’s a massive card, a card with all the big names, a lot of big matchups. I’m a little bit cautious about going to America for the safety of my family with all the sh*t that’s been going on online. To protect my wife, to protect my child, to protect myself.”
While Garry did not specifically mention any names, a few fighters have recently been vocal about Garry’s antics inside gyms and his activity online. Garry has been ridiculed for bringing cameras inside of the training room and being disrespectful to his peers, including Luque. Additionally, he was also asked not to return to welterweight champion Leon Edwards’ gym.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland recently criticized Garry’s marriage to his wife Layla Machado Garry, prompting an exchange of direct messages and threats of legal action. A few days later, Strickland posted another video to Instagram, in which he stated security needed to keep him and Garry separated at the UFC PI in Las Vegas.
“Garry, I don’t f*cking hate you dude, I actually like you,” Strickland said in the video. “I think you’re a funny little dweeb. You make me f*cking laugh. I think you’re a dumbass f*cking kid who got some p*ssy that was too good for him and it got in his head and it f*cked you up. I look at you like a victim.”
Strickland continued to state he didn’t wish to fight Garry, but invited him to message him online if he “wanted to get sh*t f*cking handled.”
After his recent win at UFC on ESPN 52, fellow welterweight contender Sean Brady called out Garry, expressing his displeasure with how he represents the sport.
“He’s just always talking sh*t about people, and it’s wack,” Brady told MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference. “I think he’s wack, and I’ll rag doll him. I think that’s the easiest fight in the division.”
The Ireland-born Garry has competed three times in 2023, all of which were fights that took place in the US. This time, however, he has received more blowback than ever before from his fellow fighters.
“I’m not remotely concerned or worried about the fight,” Garry said. “The fight’s fun. The fight’s easy for me. It’s always something I enjoy, it’s something I love. The press conferences, weigh-ins, everything. I love it. It’s energy. I thrive off it – but me not being able to react to people in person, it’s going to wind me up a little bit.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
