Ian Machado Garry’s moment to make a real statement is now
UFC star Ian Machado Garry is preparing to compete against Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of tonight’s UFC Qatar card. If he wins, some would argue that he has earned the right to challenge for the UFC welterweight championship – but if he does come away with the victory, you’d have to think he needs to do so convincingly.
Ian Machado Garry has certainly picked up a handful of impressive finishes during his UFC run but up to this point, his ‘biggest’ win was over Carlos Prates, and the dominating image coming out of that contest was Machado Garry crawling away in a desperate attempt to avoid a late knockout. He also put forward an admirable effort against Shavkat Rakhmonov, but when the best thing to say is that you avoided getting finished, it’s not a wonderful sign.
All of this being said, there’s no denying that Ian Machado Garry is an amazing prospect. He has the talent necessary to go all the way to the top, but in equal measure, he certainly hasn’t made himself much of a fan favorite courtesy of some of his remarks in the media.
Given that he’s just turned 28, Ian Macahdo Garry obviously still has plenty of time left on the clock to make an impact. Alas, when you’re going up against a former champion like Belal Muhammad, especially after all of the talk between the two men, this is the way to put yourself on the map in a manner that nobody can ignore.
Ian Machado Garry – the time to strike is here
Machado Garry knows how to promote himself and talk the talk, but he needs to walk the walk and pick up his first finish in two and a half years after five straight decisions.
Belal Muhammad, meanwhile, knows how to play the role of spoiler. He’s done it countless times over the years and although he lost to Jack Della Maddalena, he is still an elite fighter in the welterweight division.
In our view, Ian winning via finish is the most likely outcome, and it’s also the only one that is going to get him a title shot next.
