Ian Machado Garry is once again facing a short preparation period in the UFC, this time for a fight that might not even happen. Having recently stepped in on just a month`s notice to deliver knockout artist Carlos Prates his first octagon defeat, Garry is now set to serve as the backup fighter for the UFC 315 welterweight title bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena scheduled for May 10th.
With only two weeks separating these two commitments, the Chute Boxe fighter`s head coach, Diego Lima, stated that he is putting in maximum effort to ensure Garry is ready to step into the cage in Canada if the situation arises.
“We have to train for a war, to train as if we’re fighting,” Lima emphasized. “The moment you’re the backup fighter, that fight can get cancelled.”
He recalled a previous instance: “When [Islam] Makhachev was fighting Arman [Tsarukyan], we offered Charles [Oliveira] to be the backup… and on Friday, the day of the weigh-ins, the fight was off. Even if you don’t believe it, anything can happen.”
Garry went five rounds with Shavkat Rakhmonov in December, nearly securing a submission against the undefeated contender in the late stages. He also completed a demanding 25-minute battle against Prates. Although Garry was hurt in the fifth round against Prates, his performance in the earlier rounds earned him the decision victory this time.
“You can’t come out unscathed after a 25-minute war,” Lima remarked about the physical toll. He expressed gratitude that both fighters avoided serious injuries. “The important thing right now is to recover from the injuries, get some rest, and then go back to light training after four or five days. Move the body in training, do some light sparring.”
Lima highlighted the complexity of preparing for two distinct potential opponents: “It’s difficult because you have to train everything, and they have two completely different styles. Fighting Belal is one thing, and Maddalena is totally different. We have to work on conditioning to get better for both in case something happens. I don’t think this fight will fall off, but we have to go there expecting it to get cancelled.”
Lima, who has previously trained Prates, commended Garry for executing the game plan almost flawlessly in the recent fight. He pointed out that aside from the final minute, when Prates rocked the Irish fighter, and Prates’ takedown defense, Garry largely maintained control of the match.
“Ian always stays light, he’s always training, so he’s ready for any opportunity,” Lima stated, emphasizing Garry`s constant preparedness. He added, “Every fighter dreams of entering the UFC, and when they do, they dream of winning the belt. Ian is super young but already very experienced. His penultimate fight was a loss, but he came out bigger than before. He’s showing how good he is, and he deserves this opportunity.”
Lima reiterated Garry`s deservingness: “Ian deserves it,” he continued, “not only for taking another fight on short notice, but for delivering in the octagon. He’s a complete fighter.”
Referencing his recent performances, Lima said, “He came close to submitting [Rakhmonov] last time around, and now he did a great fight with Carlos, dominating all rounds, minus the fifth.”
Lima concluded, “He’s proving he has what it takes, that he deserves it. Both times the UFC needed him, he answered the call.”
