Miami, FL — Attending Karate Combat 40 over the weekend, Ian Machado Garry looked ahead to his UFC 292 fight with Geoff Neal, and sees more of the same coming from Neal’s direction.
“Everybody says the same thing when they fight me. ‘I think I’m a different animal to what he’s faced before, I hit harder than what he’s faced before, he’s not seen anybody like me,'” Garry told Cageside Press. “I couldn’t care less what they say. The truth is, every single one of them has never faced somebody like me. Geoff Neal has fought guys that are long and tall, and he’s lost to all three of them. He lost to [Neil] Magny, he lost to Wonderboy, he lost to Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. And I fight very differently to all three of them. I’m younger, I’m faster, I’m fitter. I’m more dynamic.”
Rakhmonov, a teammate of Garry, fought Neal “this f*cking close. He didn’t fight him at Shavkat’s range, Shavkat’s range is way longer,” the Irish welterweight added. “I’m going to be so far out that his little short arse couldn’t hit me. I’m going to be kicking him from every single angle, and I’m going to show him that I am just that much better than everybody he’s ever faced. That the way I move, the way I can set you up is just different. And look, I plan on putting him to sleep in the second round.”
If the stars align and Garry gets his way, that could lead to a fight with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, on a card with Garry’s fellow countryman Conor McGregor. “Could you imagine the beautiful striking that we could put on?” And if not Thompson, Garry is willing to face off with former interim champ Colby Covington. “I’d love to turn Colby around. What’s he going to do, try to wrestle me for 25 minutes? There’s no way he could reach me for 25 minutes. He’ll get tired against my pace, and I’ll starch him.”
In the meantime, Garry has Geoff Neal in Boston to look forward to. The city has deep Irish roots, and once upon a time, McGregor, who it seems Garry is constantly compared to, had a star turn there.
“Not to compare, but I’ve fought in some of the biggest stadiums in the world, I’ve had the honor of being able to set foot in arguably the most iconic stadium in Madison Square Garden, but this one’s going to feel very special,” Garry admitted. “I feel like this one is very important for my career, for the Irish fanbase, for Ireland itself, for the Irish fanbase in America.”
“For everybody that loves the Irish, for everybody that loves fighting, I’m going to go out there and put on a show, and show the world why I am the future. I’m going to bring a skillset that’s going to be efficient, it’s going to be beautiful, it’s going to be violent. And I plan to show every single fan that has paid money to sit in that seat greatness.”
Garry has lofty aspirations for his career, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed him. When he talks about greatness, certain names come to mind.
“Everybody wanted to see Michael Jordan compete when Michael Jordan was in his prime. Everybody wanted to be in that stadium,” Garry stated. “I want everybody to be dying to buy a ticket to watch me compete, and this is another step in that journey.”
Garry also spoke to Cageside Press over the weekend about his decision to change his name, adding his wife’s maiden name, Machado, to his own.
“It was me that wanted to change my name because I wanted my whole family to be connected. I wanted everyone to be connected. And for those who don’t know, I added Machado to my name so that my stepson and my son had the same name, they didn’t have two different [surnames]. And that was important for me, because they’re two brothers. I wanted them to feel connected, not separate.”
Watch our full interview with Ian Machado Garry above. Garry returns to action against Geoff Neal at UFC 292 on August 19, 2023 in Boston, MA.
