Conor McGregor was 25 years old when he stepped into the UFC, and by the time he was 36, he became the face of the sport. From the troubled neighborhoods of Dublin to the glistening Octagon of the UFC, McGregor’s life is a testament to the result of grit and hard work. McGregor beat some of the biggest names in UFC, became a dual-weight champ, and brought in some of the highest pay-per-views for the promotion. He truly paved the way for other Irish fighters to dream big. So Ian Machado Garry decided to dream, and at 23, he was roped into the UFC, in the footsteps of his idol.

The younger Irishman is on a similar path to his idol. Garry began his professional career in Cage Warriors, where several UFC fighters like McGregor and Paddy Pimblett competed. With a horrible PCL injury and a split from his long-time coaches, Garry fought for the Cage Warriors belt and won, and then began his UFC journey. ‘The Future’ has since become a relentless force with back-to-back 15 wins in the UFC, before fighting a noble losing battle against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310.

Of course, McGregor’s path wasn’t just one where he was loved and adored by fans. Over the years, the Irishman went from an anti-hero who generally did the right thing to a full-blown heel involved in one controversy after the other. He went from being an iconic figure that was universally loved, to now a divisive one. But all that doesn’t seem to bother Machado Garry, as there’s one thing that he loved about the man he idolized and trained with (at one point)—McGregor’s mentality.

Ahead of the UFC on ESPN 66, he sat down with ESPN MMA and narrated his story. Garry explained how he was inspired by McGregor and said, “ I was the first of a generation to go into a gym being a super fan of Conor McGregor. Conor’s ‘I don’t give a f**k’ mentality, I feel, captured many people’s hearts, kind of kicked that door down, and laid the path for people to go ‘Here’s the A, B, and C if you want to be one of the best. Go on your journey.”

But even so, did Ian Machado Garry find himself unhappy with the Irish superstar at any point? Well, yes, but not for reasons you’d think.

He was a bit disappointed after McGregor’s withdrawal at UFC 303 and a missed opportunity at being on the same card as McGregor. And on the comparisons of him to ‘The Notorious’, ‘The future’ was not that irked. “Anyone saying I am trying to be like Conor McGregor or I am trying to do something to be like him, I have to take it as a compliment,” he said during the UFC 303 media day. “‘I’m not trying to be like him in any way, shape, or form. Have I been inspired by him? Absolutely.” And now, much like the ‘Conor McGregor of old’, Ian Machado Garry thinks he saved a UFC card.

Ian Machado Garry saved UFC with a short-notice fight

During the latest UFC Journey episode, Ian Machado Garry proudly claimed, “God gave me many talents and many gifts, and one of them is a massive sack to be able to take a fight whenever I want. When the UFC needs a savior, they call me. No matter if it’s 8 weeks, 3 weeks, or 2 weeks. I am always ready.”

It is true that ‘The Future’ took a short-notice bout when he fought Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. Garr, in the same video, said that he was proud to take a short-notice fight against a dangerous combatant like Rakhmonov.

Now he is taking on Carlos Prates on short notice, and he claimed not to know who his opponent was for this fight when he agreed to take it. He said, “I get a call from my agent, and he is like, ‘Hey, can you fight short notice?’ I was like, ‘What, short notice?’ And he was like, ’25 days.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah. Alright, sure.’ I hung up the phone, and then he rang me back and said, ‘Don’t you want to know who it’s against?’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s probably important.”

It cannot be denied that he’s been showing up for the UFC by taking short-notice fights, but the last time he did it, he lost. Will Ian Machado Garry be able to win this time? What do you think?