UFC Fighter Ian Garry Throws Nasty Shot Back at Sean Strickland
Ian Machado Garry has further escalated his feud with Sean Strickland and is eager to meet the UFC middleweight champion in the Octagon.
Currently the UFC’s #10-ranked welterweight contender, Garry is coming off a strong year that saw him collect three victories and most recently best divisional mainstay Neil Magny at UFC 292.
“The Future” has featured prominently in combat sports headlines as of late due to his ongoing war of words with the UFC’s reigning middleweight champion, and the Irishman recently told Ariel Helwani he's interested in pursuing a matchup with Strickland.
Garry has rapidly climbed through the UFC welterweight rankings.
(Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
“Whether it’s this year or whether it’s next year, I’d love Sean Strickland,” Garry said on The MMA Hour. “Any man, or any person, whoever talks or mentions me, my wife and my family in that way, I’m gonna get my hands on ‘em.”
One of the most polarizing personalities on the UFC roster, Strickland also collected three wins last year and authored a sensational upset at UFC 293 when he took a lopsided decision over Israel Adesanya to claim the promotion’s middleweight title.
Strickland is now scheduled to defend his middleweight belt against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 later this month, but Garry doesn’t expect the controversial fighter to remain champion for long and is willing to move up to middleweight in order to settle things between the two.
Strickland claimed the UFC middleweight title last September.
(Jasmin Frank/USA TODAY Sports)
"In an ideal world, towards the end of the year I don’t think Sean Strickland’s gonna be the world champion anymore. And I believe there’s absolutely an opportunity for me to step up to middleweight and give him a hidin’. And maybe, maybe I’ll beat him so bad that he’ll forget all of that trauma from his childhood and he can thank me."
“The Future” was set to close out 2023 with a matchup against Vicente Luque at UFC 296 before he was forced to withdraw due to illness, and now the 26-year-old will put his unbeaten record on the line against Geoff Neal at UFC 298.
Garry’s choice to wear a T-shirt adorned with his Neal's mugshot ahead of a previously scheduled bout at UFC 292 means there will be plenty of bad blood going into his next fight, but depending on how things shake out during the rest of the year a matchup with Strickland could attract considerable fan interest in the future.
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