Despite a win against Fighting Nerds stalwart Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas over the weekend, Ian Garry has been shot down by a fellow contender, who questioned if he deserves a title shot next.
With the victory, the Portmarnock native bounced back to the winner’s enclosure for the first time in his combat career. Facing the unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov last December, the Irish striker had lost his 15-fight win streak to a back-and-forth decision loss against the Kazakh fighter.
While that fight had solidified Rakhmonov as the #1 contender for the 170 lbs title, the Kazakh boogeyman has since recused himself from action. This has allowed Garry to claim his spot in the division and call for a title fight against Belal Muhammad.
However, his aspirations for the championship clash have been shot down by UFC London winner Sean Brady, especially in light of his own recent win over ex-champion Leon Edwards.
“Ian (Garry) did what Ian does,” Brady told Steady Picks.
“He f*king touches you and runs for three rounds. Then he got beat up for two rounds and said he’s getting a title shot. To say you have a performance like that, you deserve a title shot. He can go way in and be the backup fighter all he wants”, Brady continued.
Sean Brady went OFF on Ian Garry for calling for a title shot next:
“You just beat number 13. You don’t deserve anything… He can be a back up fighter all he wants, that don’t mean d*ck.”
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“That doesn’t mean f*cking d*ck”, he noted with disdain, reiterating, “That doesn’t mean you deserve a title shot.”
Unfortunately, for Brady, his words have little sway over the UFC matchmakers, who have placed Garry as the backup to the UFC 315 headliner next month.
Garry receives title fight boost
Questioned at the post-fight presser if the Irish striker had done enough to potentially face either Belal Muhammad or Jack Della Maddalena if needed, UFC boss, Dana White, insisted he did, indeed.
Meanwhile, Garry revealed that he is going to be lying low for a couple of weeks, following which he will be on a flight to the Great White North.
“I’m the official backup for the world title fight. And I’m next in line for that world title”, he said.
Furthermore, Garry also claimed that a fight for the welterweight crown against the incumbent, Belal, is the biggest clash the organization can field right now.
But his ambitions run far beyond Belal even at this point.
Pointing toward a pound-for-pound number 1 spot, Garry said, “There’s no doubt about it. And then everyone should take a step back and give Islam (Makhahev) the respect he deserves, the P4P #1, if he wants to move up… I’d absolutely love to welcome that.“