Top Irish prospect Ian Garry channelled his inner Conor McGregor during yesterday’s UFC 292 press conference.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to face his toughest opponent yet this Saturday in Neil Magny. Garry was originally set to take on Geoff Neal for UFC 292’s antepenultimate bout, however the American pulled out due to injury.
Magny admirably stepped in on a week’s notice as a replacement for the undefeated youngster. Both fighters come into the contest off the back of impressive recent victories, with Garry overcoming Daniel Rodriguez via first-round knockout just over three months ago to enter the 170 lb rankings.
‘The Haitian Sensation‘, on the other hand, emerged victorious back in June with a split decision win over Philip Rowe.
Ian Garry and Neil Magny Press Conference Comments
Garry, after consistently berating Neal throughout the build-up to their planned bout, kept the same energy with his new opponent.
The welterweight duo came face-to-face on Thursday at the UFC 292 pre-fight press conference, which became surprisingly heated. Magny had previously told reporters he intended to issue a “father-like a** whooping,” a comment Garry didn’t take lightly.
Garry said: “Nobody is allowed to ask Neil Magny a question today. He’s to sit there and reflect on the sh*t that he said, because what he said was f*cking ridiculous … We are tackling a very, very big f*cking issue here, mate. He should sit there and f*cking sit down, shut up, and reflect on what he said.“
When reporters attempted to ask Magny a question, he continued: “No, no, no – Neil’s not answering a question. He’s going to sit there, and he’s going to be f*cking quiet. There is no f*cking right to ever put your hand on a kid, ever – discipline, anything. He’s to sit there and be quiet.”
Magny replied: “You want to play victim so bad, bro. You know exactly what that statement meant … You know for a fact I’ve never put a hand on my child.”
Magny later threatened to step across the table after Garry’s continued insinuations. ‘The Future‘, channelling his idol McGregor, simply stated: “You’ll do f****** nothing.”
The quote is a throwback to UFC 202, when McGregor iterated the same thing to Nate Diaz before their second brawl.
Garry is 12-0 as a professional MMA fighter, and 5-0 under the UFC banner with three of these wins coming via knockout. Magny has been signed to the UFC since 2013 and is over a decade older than his upoming opponent. The 36-year-old has a record of 28-10, fighting out of Elevation Fight Team in Illinois.
Pre-Fight Press Conference Continued
‘The Future‘ went on to slate his octagon counterpart further as the press conference commenced.
He said: “I’ll f***ing talk all day long. On Saturday night, I’ll jab you in the mouth and I’ll break that nose.
“Mate, you get beat by f***ing everybody. What are you gonna do? You’re going to push me up against the cage and try to clinch in a bore-fest.
“I’m going to whoop your f***ing a***. Shut the f*** up!”
Garry will be eyeing the division’s top ten should he emerge victorious against Magny on Saturday night, and he believes a win should be more than enough to convince Dana White to take the UFC back to Ireland.
He told talkSPORT: “That has always been the plan, to get a fight in Ireland and bring the UFC back to Dublin. I’m excited for it to come to fruition, and I believe that this is the cherry on the cake.
“The Irish influence in Boston just shows the world how incredibly powerful Irish MMA is.”
Do you think Ian Garry can beat Neil Magny at UFC 292? Would you like to see the UFC return to Dublin? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
