“Ultimate UFC Villain” Ian Machado Garry Sparks Fan Meltdown With Vegan Announcement
Ian Machado Garry has found a fresh way to get under the skin of the MMA community before the biggest night of his career. The Irish contender has revealed he is vegan and has partnered with PETA ahead of Saturday’s UFC 330 welterweight title fight with Islam Makhachev in Philadelphia.
Rather than quietly changing his meal plan, Garry has put the decision front and centre of fight week. That has handed fans another reason to debate the polarising 28-year-old, who will try to take the 170-pound title from Makhachev at Xfinity Mobile Arena on August 15. The UFC has confirmed the fight as the event’s main event, with Makhachev entering as champion and Garry as the No. 1 contender.
Garry says he switched to a plant-based diet five years ago after dealing with illness and infections during weight cuts earlier in his UFC run. He believes removing meat improved his weight management, recovery, rest and training output. He also pointed to his short-notice wins over Carlos Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov as proof that the change has worked for him.
Ian Machado Garry’s Vegan Reveal Has UFC Fans Falling for the Rage Bait Ahead of Islam Makhachev Fight
“I don’t think I would have been able to fight Prates and Rakhmonov on seven days’ notice before,” Garry said. He added that UFC 330 will be his 11th bout since making the change and said he has had no soft-tissue or muscle injuries in that period. Those are Garry’s personal claims, rather than a guarantee that a vegan diet will produce the same result for every athlete.
Still, nuance did not slow down the reaction online. The timing has made veganism part of Garry’s pre-fight villain act, whether that was his intention or not. One YouTube viewer wrote, “If I was a vegan I’d stop being one after watching this.” Another said, “Bruh he’s a vegan.. can this man possibly become anymore less likeable.” A third comment read, “Finally I am rooting for a Dagestani.”
The reaction on X followed the same route. “Just when you think that he couldn’t get any more unlikeable,” one fan posted. Another pleaded, “Islam Makhachev please save me, please save me.” One viewer admitted they had never wanted Makhachev to win before but said Garry “talks so stupid” that they may now support the champion.
Some fans pushed back on the pile-on, with one asking whether people who dislike Garry’s vegan stance also dislike Nick and Nate Diaz, two long-time plant-based fighters. The Diaz brothers have been among MMA’s best-known advocates for plant-based eating, while Garry has cited the lifestyle’s role in his own rise.
PETA‘s campaign positions Garry as an athlete who credits animal-free food with helping his training, recovery and focus. The organisation also says he wants to promote animal welfare and environmental awareness if he becomes champion. That message has clearly landed differently with an MMA audience that often enjoys its fight promotion loud, macho and meat-heavy.
One Facebook commenter summed up the mood by calling Garry “the ultimate ufc villain.” Another fan wrote that Garry seems to be “purposely just trying to be the most unlikable guy.”
Garry now has the chance to make the noise useful. Beating Makhachev would give Ireland its first UFC champion since Conor McGregor and hand Garry the welterweight throne. A loss, though, will leave the internet replaying every vegan joke long after fight night.
