Born in the Irish coastal village of Portmarnock, Ian Machado Garry aims to lead the resurgence of Irish MMA. The undefeated welterweight was inspired by Conor McGregor when MMA was pushed into the spotlight in Ireland.
Ian “Machado” Garry’s Early Career
At age 18, Garry earned his Judo black belt. Following this, he focused on the sport and pursued his career in martial arts. His first amateur fight was just after his 20th birthday, and he made his pro debut at 21 years old on Cage Warriors 101. A card headlined by now-top UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall. With five straight knockouts, he earned his shot at the vacant cage warriors welterweight title against Jack Grant. He won via unanimous decision without a corner team.
UFC Career
The UFC snatched up the rising star and immediately had him debuting on a pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden. It proved a breakout moment for the debutant when he landed a beautiful slip counter on Jordan Williams with seconds left of the very first round. The year 2022 was fruitful for Garry. He got married in February before his first fight of the year against Darian Weeks in April, where he earned his ninth career win. Following this, he took on Gabe Green in July. Another display of his crisp striking throughout won Garry a unanimous decision. In October, Machado Garry welcomed his son into the world, so we saw him next in 2023.
At UFC 285, we saw the return of Jon Jones on a stacked card. Kenan Song was their opponent for Garry, a tough veteran with great power. Early in the fight, Song caught Garry with a clean left hook dropping the Irishman to the canvas. He survived the round and recognised his mistake in the corner, showing his intellect and striking prowess, hunted Song down and finished him in picturesque violence in the final minute of the fight. Post-fight, Garry targeted the April card in Miami but could not get a matchup, so he returns this Saturday. He takes on Daniel Rodriguez in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Daniel Rodriguez
Daniel Rodriguez is an experienced UFC welterweight with wins over Li Jingliang, Mike Perry and Tim Means. Of his 17 career wins, he has finished 12, so he will be looking to halt the rise of the Irish superstar and hand him his first pro loss. Last time out, ‘D-Rod’ came up short against Neil Magny, a seasoned veteran that caught him in a D’arce choke in the third round back in November last year.
A win over Rodriguez would be the biggest scalp on the record of Ian Machado Garry, who would move to 12-0 and potentially a top 15 ranking. He has a six-fight plan in mind for his path to the welterweight title, which he detailed in a recent interview with talkSPORT.
The prospect oozes confidence and bravado and undoubtedly will become a huge pay-per-view draw if he keeps his performances at a high level. Training with the elite in his division, like Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns and the champion Leon Edwards, can only improve the already high-quality skillset he possesses.
How far do you think Ian Machado Garry can go in the UFC welterweight division?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
