Ian Machado Garry expressed his willingness to settle his recent dispute with fellow UFC welterweight Jack Della Maddalena.
The comments arose after Della Maddalena secured the welterweight title via a unanimous decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Garry served as the backup fighter for this main event bout. Following the fight, Della Maddalena`s coach made critical remarks about Garry, suggesting “The Future” needed to improve his ability to finish fights. Garry offered a sharp retort during a recent interview.
“Jack has only one finish in his last four fights,” Garry stated. “So he`s telling me I need to get in the gym and find some power? He got beat up pretty badly in that fight… Belal isn`t anywhere near the striker I am… I`ll bend his nose back the way it should be.”
Garry also directed comments towards Della Maddalena`s corner. “His coach should stay out of this. My son giving him M&M`s was a harmless, playful joke, lighthearted banter about him potentially missing weight. It was all in good spirits. I`m not flying around the world trying to be famous; I`m flying around the world ready to fight. If I`m needed, I`ll show up and do what`s necessary to compete. If he`s the champion, I`ll take the belt from his hands.”
The context of Garry`s remarks traces back to an interaction before UFC 315. As the backup fighter, Garry had his son deliver candy to Della Maddalena, a lighthearted attempt to joke about the Australian potentially missing weight. Della Maddalena`s reaction was reportedly uncharacteristically harsh, including comments questioning the child`s paternity. Garry indicated he is prepared to make Della Maddalena accountable for those statements.
“It was a simple, playful joke about a child giving a fighter M&M`s with the basic humor of, `Eat these, miss weight, and my daddy will step in and win a world title.` It was just a laugh,” Garry explained. “It was minor.”
He continued, “For him to then make the comments he did was simply immature. It shows how sensitive he is. Because if he said something like that, which is out of character for him, it means what I did during fight week genuinely bothered him enough to provoke that reaction. This tells me that when I eventually fight him, I`m going to be able to fully irritate him. I believe he is mentally weak; I can definitely get inside his head. But I will never stoop to mentioning his child, his children, or his wife, because I don`t need to. When I get into the octagon, I will punch him in the mouth and take his belt. I don`t need to say anything further.”
Unfortunately for Garry, a fight against Della Maddalena may not happen soon. Della Maddalena is expected to defend his title next against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, although a date has not yet been finalized. Given the crowded nature of the 170-pound division, Garry plans to remain active and fight his way towards a title shot.
“I think they will likely fight around October,” Garry speculated regarding the Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev bout. “So that will probably be the date. As for me, I will continue to be active. I will never stop. I am a fighter, and I want to stay busy. I want to beat everyone. I want to prove that I am the best, and I don`t need a belt around my waist right now to prove it. I need to keep defeating the best fighters in the world, and the belt will eventually come.”
