Ian Machado Garry is once again facing a condensed training period in the UFC. This time, it`s for a potential fight that may not even happen. Following a victory over knockout artist Carlos Prates on just a month`s notice, Garry is now set to serve as the backup fighter for the welterweight title bout at UFC 315 between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena scheduled for May 10th.
The Chute Boxe representative will have merely two weeks separating the events. His head coach, Diego Lima, explained that despite the uncertainty, they are putting in maximum effort to ensure readiness should Garry be called upon in Canada.
“We have to train for a war, to train as if we’re fighting,” Lima stated. “The moment you’re the backup fighter, that fight can get cancelled. When [Islam] Makhachev was fighting Arman [Tsarukyan], we offered [Charles Oliveira to be the backup], Charles asked a lot, and the UFC said, ‘No, Charles won’t be the backup. Get some rest, you just fought. You deserve a vacation. Be there as the guest fighter.’ And on Friday, the day of the weigh-ins, the fight was off. Even if you don’t believe it, anything can happen.”
Garry recently went five rounds against Rakhmonov in December, nearly submitting the undefeated contender, and also completed a full 25 minutes against Prates. While Garry was hurt late in the fifth round against Prates, his performance in the earlier rounds secured him the decision victory.
“You can’t come out unscathed after a 25-minute war,” Lima remarked. “Thank God they both 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. It’s difficult because you have to train everything, and time 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 previously trained Prates, commended Garry for executing their gameplan perfectly at UFC Kansas City. Apart from being rocked in the final minute and facing some takedown defense challenges, Garry effectively controlled the majority of the contest.
Lima concluded by praising Garry`s consistent readiness and dedication.
“Ian always stays light, he’s always training, so he’s ready for any opportunity,” Lima said. “Every fighter dreams with entering in the UFC, and when they do, they dream with 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.”
“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. He came close to submitting [Rakhmonov] last time around, and now he did a great fight with Carlos, dominating all rounds, minus the fifth. He’s proving he has what it takes, that he deserves it. Both times the UFC needed him, he answered the call.”
