Ian Machado Garry isn’t too happy about getting passed over for a UFC title shot.
In May, UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad puts his title on the line against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC 315. Originally, the UFC wanted undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov to challenge Muhammad for the title, but an injury to Rakhmonov prevented him from accepting, leading the UFC to pivot to Maddalena. And Garry, who lost a razor-close decision to Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December, is furious.
“I had a chat with my agent. I rang him when I heard, when they told me this news, and I was livid. Still am to this day,” Garry said on his Instagram. “I had a No. 1 contender’s fight where the guy now has to get knee reconstruction and is out for a year! But you know, it’s not my fault. I didn’t stab his knee 20-something times and boot the leg off. I’m not fighting for a world title, because I’m coming off a loss, and they’re giving it to a guy who’s been injured for a year and they think that’s more exciting, but they’re wrong.
“The world title fight was meant to be Shavkat Rakhmonov taking on Belal Muhammad for the world title, but Shavkat, apparently, is out injured. I wonder how that happened [cuts to an image of Garry attacking Rakhmonov’s knee]. Now they’re pulling in a guy who hasn’t fought in a year because he’s had an operation on his forearm because he broke it in his last fight, hasn’t fought in a long time, hasn’t been active. So they’re giving it to Jack Della Maddalena to fight Belal Muhammad because I’m coming off a loss. That’s OK. I’ll get you all. You’re all mine.”
Garry has some cause to be upset. Not only was his fight against Rakhmonov a No. 1 contender fight, but Garry even stepped in on short notice to save the card, because originally Rakhmonov was supposed to challenge Muhammad for the title until Muhammad withdrew due to injury. Granted, Garry admits he lost the fight, but he came closer than anyone else has to defeating Rakhmonov.
“Do I think I won the fight against Shavkat? No. I believe on that night and to this day that Shavkat won three rounds and I won two,” Garry said. “But I was very close to winning that fight. ... In my mind, I was a takedown away from winning that fight, and I would love to run it back one day, and I would love to avenge that loss. And I’m excited because I believe that guy is going to hold the belt one day. We said it. We both knew, and I said it that fight week, I believe me and Shavkat are going to meet each other far more than once in our careers.”
If that’s the case, it won’t happen for some time yet. And with Garry now obviously needing a win to have the opportunity to fight for a title, he’s targeting a return to action this summer to stake his claim.
“I would like to fight International Fight Week, June 28,” Garry said. “I don’t care who. I don’t care who they want to put in front of me. I just want to fight and prove that I’m the best in the world.”
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