Hailing from Ireland, a fighter in the UFC’s welterweight division, Ian ‘Machado’ Garry is a man surrounded by controversy and criticism. Yet he has established himself as a recognizable personality among the shiny corridors of the UFC. How, you may ask? Because ‘The Future’ has accustomed himself to standing up and fighting a strong fight, whether it’s inside or outside the Octagon.

And when it comes to his family, you can be sure that ‘The Future’ is as protective as they come. Machado Garry has been the target of trolling and verbal abuse, especially because of his relationship with his wife, Layla Machado. During the UFC 298 build-up, right after Geoff Neal and Ian Garry weighed in at 170 pounds to make their fight official, ‘The Future’ and his family were subjected to a similar kind of criticism, if not abuse. As Ian Garry and his family were leaving the weigh-ins in their car, the Irishman heard a fan yelling insults at his wife.

In a situation where most would fold to anger and possibly reply similarly, Garry chose a different way. He called out the troll from the crowd and demanded that he say the insult in front of him and his family. The Irishman stood not only on his, but also his wife’s ground as he pointed to the fan and yelled back, “Say it her face!” 

And of course, who in their right mind would do that in front of a world-class fighter? But it’s not about being a fighter with skills, Garry’s approach to the situation shows a fighter with composure and calm. He understands his responsibility as a personality of discussion, as you could see with the kids standing next to him, he chose to set an example for them and not give in to his emotions.

It is difficult to understand how Garry manages to endure so much criticism and controversy, yet he always does, and he always comes back confident and content. A rising threat in the welterweight division, currently ranked #7 in the division, has even had a controversy with a former champion of the 170-pounders, Leon Edwards.

Ian Garry’s 2023 Team Renegade incident: Was Leon Edwards insecure?

While Ian Garry was undefeated and honing his skills every day, there were tensions building up in his then-gym Team Renegade. Located in Birmingham, the gym was also home to the then-champion of the welterweights, Leon Edwards. The Englishman’s monumental victory over Kamaru Usman had landed him in a great position, and taking that momentum forward, both Edwards and Garry were undefeated in their own paths. So was it necessary for there to be friction?

In Garry’s words, “Leon and his head coach had an issue with me training on the mats and recently have asked me not to train there, because ‘Leon doesn’t want any insecurities or doubts on his own mats, within the gym, which I don’t fully understand.” So was this the real reason behind Machado Garry’s abrupt exit from Team Renegade? The Birmingham-based gym seemed to disagree as they said the reason behind his departure from the gym was purely based on what the fighters were learning and pursuing did not go well with Ian Garry. Whatever the case may be, Garry was able to secure himself a training ground at the Chute Box Diego Lima.

Although surrounded in controversy, ‘The Future’ was able to redeem himself and gain the respect of the MMA community when he stepped up on short notice to take on Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. A fight many wanted to see with a full training camp for both the men, Garry took charge in a gesture to save the main event from being cancelled, as Belal Muhammad, the current welterweight champion, pulled out of the fight.

With a stunning display of courage and heart, Garry won the respect of his opponent, Rakhmonov, and the crowd as well, despite not getting his hand raised. So let them say what they will about this Irishman—they can’t take away his warrior mentality. Heading into his main event bout at UFC Kansas City against a dangerous opponent in Carlos ‘The Nightmare’ Prates, Machado Garry has to channel his best version yet to come out on top.

Will ‘The Future’ be able to restart a winning streak by beating Prates? Or will Prates’ relentless attacks make him fold? Let us know in the comments.