Rising star Ian Garry plans to make a statement against "bore bag" Neil Magny on the UFC 292 show in Boston; "I'm going to finish Neil Magny. I want to fight in December in Vegas, and then I'm going to bring the UFC back to Dublin," Garry declared
Friday 18 August 2023 15:37, UK
Ian Garry, the emerging Irish sensation, will fight Neil Magny this weekend at UFC 292 in Boston.
Garry expects to be the true star of the show.
The bill is headlined by UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling defending his title against Sean O'Malley, but Garry doesn't hesitate to assert that he's the one carrying the weight of the event.
"Who in their right mind is waking up at 5am in Europe or the rest of the world for that matter, to watch Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley?" Garry told Sky Sports. "There is no one. They're staying up to watch me. Europe is staying up to watch me."
With a fervent following and immense confidence, Garry firmly believes has he two nations behind him. "I've got Ireland, that are absolutely 110 per cent behind me, and I've got Brazil. After my time in Brazil, the whole Brazilian MMA community is behind me now."
Garry's upcoming bout against Magny presents an intriguing challenge. Magny boasts an impressive list of accolades, including the most wins in welterweight history and most time spent in the cage.
However, Garry dismisses these as "boring stats".
"Imagine if that's the stat you pull out when you've had 30 fights in the UFC. You've got the most decision wins in UFC history. How does that make you feel?" Garry said. "It makes me feel like you're a bore bag and that you just try grind out fights and you can't finish a fight."
Garry's perspective on his opponent's role in the division is straightforward. "Neil Magny is as game as they come," Garry acknowledged.
"But he has a ceiling, his ceiling is the gatekeeper, and I'm going to absolutely annihilate that gatekeeper and show the world how good I am."
Garry's ambitions stretch far beyond his current bout. While he acknowledges the setback of his cancelled fight against Geoff Neal, he remains resolute in his determination to leave an impact on the division.
"I was I was scheduled to fight the No 8 in the world. I was scheduled to fight Geoff Neal. I'm upset for the Boston fans because of the finish that I was going to do on Geoff Neal," he said.
"Now I've got to do it against a different body, against a different skillset, against a different, long, rangy, awkward opponent. And I'm still going to go out there and do it."
Garry wants to be back in action soon after this fight. "I'm going to go out there and I'm going to finish Neil Magny. And then I'll call my shot. I want to fight in December in Vegas, and then I'm going to bring the UFC back to Dublin," he said.
"I have absolutely no rush to get to that title. What I want to do is develop the absolute best skillset I possibly can, so that when I get that belt nobody's touching me."
Regarding the potential clash between his weight division's champion Leon Edwards and No 2-ranked contender Colby Covington, Garry doesn't hold back either.
He predicts that Edwards will come out victorious, making rather easy work of Covington and would welcome a future showdown with the American.
"Leon Edwards absolutely annihilates Colby Covington. He gets so much credit for losing. Colby Covington is not what people make him to be," he said.
"Leon Edwards is going to dispose of him in that Octagon."
