What Happened Between Ian Garry and Sean Strickland? Layla Machado Controversy That Led to Ugly Beef

Ian Garry has climbed the ladder in the welterweight division as if it were the easiest task on the planet. But little did he know that his comments about Sean Strickland as he went against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, would bite back with great strength.

Garry and Strickland went after each other on social media and sent heat waves as they continued the beef. But what exactly transpired between them? Let’s find out.

How did animosity between Sean Strickland and Ian Garry begin?

The heat between Garry and Strickland began to emanate back in 2023, when ‘Tarzan’ claimed a victory over ‘The Last Stylebender’ and became the middleweight champion. But the Irish mixed martial artist wasn’t ready to accept Strickland’s win. In his appearance on Ariel Helwani’s ‘The MMA Hour’, he claimed that there came a time during the fight when Adesanya “was afraid to lose more than he wanted to win”. Garry pointed out that the Kiwi’s strikes weren’t as elegant as they normally were because of that fear, which in turn, provided Strickland with the chance to pressurize his opponent and ultimately win. 

‘The Future’ continued to disregard Strickland’s win, claiming, “There’s no way Sean Strickland gets his hand raised again. That’s my opinion, but at the end of the day, Sean Strickland got his hand raised and I can never shoot a man for reaching his dream.” he further commented on Strickland’s strikes during the match. But he just wasn’t ready to put Strickland in the elite category.

Later on, Strickland took to Instagram to reveal an encounter with the Irishman. The fighter from California recounted his awkward run-in with Garry. In the IG video, he said, “Guys I went to the PI today and I ran into the f*cking c*ck Ian Garry. Awkard mann, awkward, he looked at me hard you know. Security had to escort us around. F*cking awkward sh*t right, I’m laughing my a** off . . . I don’t wanna fight you bro, I’m happy for your success, I’m happy for you . . . if you look at me hard and that’s what you want. Slide up in the DMs bro.” 

The conflict between the middleweights continued to rise as Strickland dragged Garry’s wife into the battle on social media. Let’s see what transpired between ‘Tarzan’, ‘The Future’ and his wife.

Sean Strickland, Layla Machado, and Ian Garry go back and forth

Strickland was indeed the one who took the heat to the next level as he badmouthed Garry’s wife, Layla Machado. Taking to X, ‘Tarzan’ claimed that he never talks about a fighter’s girl, but Garry’s case was a different one and continued to call Anna Lee a succubus. This stemmed from the fact that Machado authored a book named, ‘How to Be a Wag’. 

But Strickland wasn’t done with just the post on X. He sent out a long rant in a video and advised Garry to walk away from his marriage. After recalling Machado’s outfit one night in New York, Strickland said, “This sh*t ain’t right dude, she’s a succubus. You got to run away bro. Hot girls are a dime a dozen, we’ll get your ring girls, we’ll get you two at the same time bro. You got to pull the rip cord man, it ain’t f*ck*ng right my friend. You got to pull that f*ck*ng rip cord, I’m here for you, the MMA community is here for you to do the right thing Ian Garry.”

This sent shockwaves through the entire MMA fanbase. Needless to say, it also enraged the Irishman. Garry, in his fury, attacked Strickland by threatening to sue him for the things he said about his wife. But the former middleweight champion wasn’t one to get scared that easily. ‘Tarzan’ bit back again with some X-rated comments, and called Garry a coward. 

Strickland’s comments also extracted a reaction from Garry’s wife. She opened up about her book, revealing that it was only “an 11-page audible-only satire story” that she wrote back in 2010. She further added, “That satirical book if you listen to it is really silly and anybody who takes it as fact has completely missed the mark.” 

Later on, as things began going sour, Garry declared that he wanted to settle the beef inside the Octagon. Without a doubt, things seemed to go out of control with fumes of rage rising from the Irishman.

Are we going to see Ian Garry vs Sean Strickland?

Following Strickland’s response to his threats of suing him, Garry admitted that he was indeed infuriated. He declared that he wanted nothing but a fight with Strickland. Taking to Instagram, he said, “I’ve got more people to prove wrong. It’s not fueling me. It’s p*ssing me off. Now we’ve got, I might have to win a middleweight world title before I win the welterweight.” 

The Irish fighter, wanting to fight on the same card as Conor McGregor, asked for a fight against Michael Page. Needless to say, the fighter got the fight that he asked for and is all set to prove himself in the Octagon at UFC 303. But whether he will fight Strickland or not, is something that only time can tell.

Do you think Garry will get a fight against ‘Tarzan’ anytime soon? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.