Machado Garry Impresses in Return to Win Column Against Prates
Ian Machado Garry managed to right the ship at UFC Kansas City, following a narrow loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov with a unanimous decision win over Carlos Prates. Garry looked fantastic throughout the fight. He dictated the range and pace, showcasing his slick footwork and sharp kickboxing. He also successfully mixed in some grappling, securing four takedowns. While the takedowns didn’t amount to much, they did wonders for breaking Prates’ rhythm. Garry also made heavy use of his right high kick, occupying the Brazilian’s powerful left hand and frequently forcing him to take a step back and reset. Bursts of 3 and 4 punch combinations also complicated Prates’ ability to stalk forward and set up his power shots.
Late Scare for Machado Garry
While Garry looked phenomenal both in terms of his skill-set and gameplan for the vast majority of the fight, he did not escape unscathed. In the latter half of the fourth round, Prates finally found a home for some clean punches, particularly some heavy jabs that caused significant damage to the Irishman’s face. In Round 5, Garry seemed to prioritize minimizing risk while riding out the clock. Carlos Prates did not make that easy. About a minute into the round, he backed Garry up to the fence and landed a hard knee to the face. Machado was able to get off the cage with a takedown attempt, but he seemed flustered for the remainder of the fight and utilized his grappling more heavily as Prates applied heavy forward pressure, hunting for a finish.
He nearly found it. With just over a minute left, Prates was able to reverse a takedown attempt. Once on top, he landed some hellacious ground and pound that had Garry in terrible trouble. A couple of unsuccessful desperation attempts to dive for an ankle were able to do enough to stall out the threat, see the final bell, and secure the win via unanimous decision.
Despite the late dramatics, it was, on the whole, a fantastic statement from Ian Machado Garry. He threw and landed roughly double the significant strikes of his opponent, and utilized his fight IQ to largely nullify the Fighting Nerd’s gameplan.
Big Things on the Horizon After Quality Win at UFC Kansas City
In his post-fight interview, Ian Machado Garry revealed that he may have another short-notice fight upcoming. He will serve as the backup for the Welterweight Championship fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. At the post-fight press conference, UFC boss Dana White confirmed that plan as official. Machado Garry also went into more detail about his role as backup:
“If I’m doing a back-to-back thing and saving your ass, you’ve gotta give me the reward. I’m the official backup, and I’m next. Whoever wins that fight, if that fight goes ahead, that’s my next opponent. You don’t take back-to-back short-notice fights against the most dangerous fighters in the division and not get rewarded for it. If one of those guys slips up in two weeks, you best believe I’m gonna be ready for everything, and that belt is coming back home to Ireland…I’m next in line for the title, and all the rest can take a backseat and show me the respect I deserve.”
He then went on to lay out a hyper-ambitious vision for the future:
“I’m going to fight the winner, and I believe it’s Belal. Then, when Belal doesn’t have the belt, there’s a certain pound-for-pound #1 who wants to come up, and his name is Islam Makhachev. I have nothing but love and respect for that man and his style, it would be an honor to share the octagon with him. I’d love to go out there and prove against him, in my first title defense, that I’m the pound-for-pound #1. Then Shavkat gets the rematch. And I’m going to go out there, and I’m gonna dismantle that man and prove that he never won that fight. That’s my three-fight plan, and I don’t want it any other way.”
Bright Future for Ian Machado Garry
After the win over Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City, it’s undeniable that the sky is the limit for Ian Machado Garry. His recent performances should prove to any doubters that he’s among the best in the division. The first part of his three-fight plan seems to be a lock barring any unfortunate circumstances. Whether against Belal Muhammad or Jack Della Maddalena, he is next in line for the title. Sean Brady was the heir apparent for #1 Contender after his crushing victory over former champion Leon Edwards. However, we have to take Dana White and Garry at their word and believe that he’s been usurped and will have to wait his turn.
The call-out of Islam Makhachev is very interesting indeed. It’s well established that a move to Welterweight is a firm goal for Makhachev, and that friend and training partner Belal Muhammad holding the belt is a complication of that goal. Belal has volunteered to vacate the title and move to Middleweight to clear a path for Islam if needed. However, if he’s dethroned by Machado Garry, that would create a cleaner situation. Given Makhachev’s very vocal jockeying for a chance at Welterweight gold, it seems the Irishman controls his destiny. If he does take the belt, there is no reason why he couldn’t end up in a fight with Islam Makhachev.
Regardless of how the specific moving parts align, Machado Garry is in a fantastic spot. He’ll have some huge fights upcoming and an opportunity to truly establish a legacy of greatness in the sport. Based on what we saw against Carlos Prates, he has every tool necessary to make a serious run at legendary status.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
