Latest news with #MachadoGarry
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Belal Muhammad uses AI to respond to Ian Machado Garry who accused him of avoiding fight
Belal Muhammad sought help when formulating a response to Ian Machado Garry's callout. Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is continuing to push for the Muhammad fight, and accused the former UFC welterweight champion of ducking him. Machado Garry is ready to fight as soon as next month at UFC 319 in Muhammad's home city of Chicago. "Belal Muhammad is continuing to call out Kamaru Usman," Garry said in an Instagram video. "Kamaru Usman has said himself that he's not fighting any time soon so, why does he keep calling him out? Because he's avoiding me. He's now started to mention Sean Brady's name again – a man who he's already knocked out. "Imagine calling out someone you've already knocked out? Here's the truth, had Belal beat JDM, he would be fighting me in his hometown of Chicago. So, do the right thing. Don't let your hometown down and accept the fight in Chicago. I'll see you soon." Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) fired back at Machado Garry in slightly more creative fashion, with the caption, "See you in November, dork." "Ian Garry out here trying to do Conor cosplay with Dollar Tree trash talk," Muhammad responded on his Instagram. "Bro, your lines hit softer than your jab. You sound like a teenager who just discovered McGregor highlight reels. You want to outbox me? Try out-talking me first without embarrassing yourself. Until then, go back to rehearsing in the mirror. Maybe one day, your trash talk will be as sharp as your barbers fade."
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ian Machado Garry vows to box the ears off ex-UFC champ Belal Muhammad, gets response
Ian Machado Garry vows to box the ears off ex-UFC champ Belal Muhammad, gets response Ian Machado Garry is eyeing a former champion in his quest for UFC gold. Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) took to social media to dare former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) to stand and trade with him. His comments come after Muhammad lost his title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 last month, where he opted to predominantly strike with the Aussie. "I believe Belal lost to JDM due to his ego trying to stand and bang when he should have taken JDM down," Machado Garry said in an Instagram post. "Surely he won't try to stand and bang with me? Surely not. I am going to box the ears off you because I'm the best in this division, hands down. Belal, learn from your last loss and never ever, ever, ever try and stand and bang with me." Muhammad responded to Machado Garry with a date for a potential fight. "I'll see you at msg." After Machado Garry defeated Carlos Prates by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 66 in April, he served as the title-fight backup for Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena at UFC 315, but his services weren't needed.
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ian Machado Garry: Leon Edwards should retire, clearly doesn't have love for it anymore
Ian Machado Garry: Leon Edwards should retire, clearly doesn't have love for it anymore Ian Machado Garry doesn't think former UFC champ Leon Edwards can hang with the rising contenders anymore. After going on a 13-fight unbeaten streak, Edwards (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) has dropped back-to-back fights – losing his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304, followed by a submission loss to Sean Brady at UFC Fight Night 255 in March. Judging by the dominant nature of his loss to Brady, Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) questions Edwards' fighting spirit. "If I was Leon, I would be retiring," Machado Garry told talkSPORT MMA. "He clearly doesn't have the love for it anymore, clearly doesn't have the talent for it against the best young youth in the division. Just kick it in, say you were a world champion and go off into the streets of Birmingham and tell the people the story of what was, not what is." As for his own career, 27-year-old Machado Garry remains confident that he will realize his goal of becoming UFC champion. "It should have come back in UFC 315 in Canada. That's the truth: It should have," Machado Garry said of a title shot. "But they decided to go with a guy who's been out for a year and coming off a broken arm and not being active for a year. But that's up to them as a business, and they can do what they want. All I know is I was present for the world title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena in Canada, and had I fought that night, I would have a belt wrapped around my waist. That's what I fully believe."
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ian Machado Garry responds to Michael Morales' constant UFC callouts
Ian Machado Garry responds to Michael Morales' constant UFC callouts Ian Machado Garry addresses constant callouts by rising UFC contender Michael Morales Ian Machado Garry has addressed Michael Morales' numerous callouts. Morales, who recently sent shockwaves through the MMA world with his knockout win over Gilbert Burns, has been calling out Machado Garry since 2023, and he now has been given a response. Morales wasn't pleased to hear Machado Garry mention his name in a previus interview, and since has taken exception to the Irishman. Machado Garry doesn't understand where the issue comes from, and frankly, doesn't care. "I don't believe I've ever met the bloke," Machado Garry told Ariel Helwani. "But if he has a problem, keep the problem. It doesn't bother me. I don't believe I've ever met him, said a word to him, or anything at all." Morales took a big step forward in his career Saturday. In his first UFC main event, Morales quickly finished Burns – a long-time contender and former UFC title challenger. Machado Garry, who used to train with Burns at Kill Cliff FC in Deerfield Beach, Fla., watched the fight closely. "I watched the fight against Gilbert. Gilbert is a good friend of mine, so I have to watch it," Machado Garry said. "And yeah, he did what he needed to do. I thought Gilbert looked good early on. I thought he looked a lot more energetic than we've seen him in the past, and against a bigger guy, he looked good early on. But Morales did what he needed to do, and that's the fighter in him." Machado Garry thinks he'll eventually meet Morales inside the cage. Machado Garry's belief is unwavering that he himself is bound to be champion, and he wouldn't mind defending the belt against Ecuador's Morales, should the opportunity arise. "I'm going to fight him at some point in time because when I'm the champion, I'm going to beat everyone that's next contender," Machado Garry said.
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ian Machado Garry credits Jack Della Maddalena for UFC title win – but sees mental weakness
Ian Machado Garry credits Jack Della Maddalena for UFC title win – but sees mental weakness Ian Machado Garry gives all credit in the world to Jack Della Maddalena for what he did inside the cage at UFC 315, but the admiration might stop there. Machado Garry was cageside as the backup fighter for the title fight May 10 in Montreal. Though his seat could be best described as one of the best in the house, Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) said he got the wrong impression of the two fighters' abilities in-person. When he watched the fight back, his opinion changed. "I know how fast I am. I know real time," Machado Garry told Uncrowned on Monday. "I thought both of them looked slow from watching it with my own eyes. Then, I watched it back on TV and it was a completely different look. Jack looked a hell of a lot cleaner than he did in person. He looked a lot faster when you just watched him vs. Belal. When you're sat front row, I'm watching it as if I'm in there. That's my mentality. There was a lot of things Jack did that I thought were quite sloppy. But technically he was the better striker, so he was going to win that regardless. Belal has never been known for his striking." So was it Della Maddalena's skills or Belal Muhammad's shortcomings that led to the end-result of an Australian welterweight champion? Machado Garry thinks it was a combination of both. But in response to comments made by Della Maddalena's coach Ben Vickers on Submission Radio, Garry unloaded the champion's abilities shown in previous fights. "In his last four fights, Jack has had one finish," Machado Garry said. "So he's telling me I need to get into the gym and I need to find some power. He got beat up pretty bad. ... Belal ain't nowhere near the striker I am. I think we can both agree with that. Belal ain't nothing compared to me on the feet. But he looked rough when he was in your studio, yes. I've bend his nose backward the way it should be. His coach should stay out of this. My son giving him M&Ms is a playful, harmful joke, having a laugh about him missing weight. It was all good. It was all a bit of banter. I'm not flying around the world trying to be a superstar, trying to be someone famous. I'm flying around the world ready to fight. If I'm needed, I'll show up and I'll do what I need to do to fight. If he's the champion, I'll take the belt from his hands." It's unclear what Machado Garry's next move is. One week before he stepped on the scale in Montreal, he defeated Carlos Prates by unanimous decision. The win and quick turnaround for the backup opportunity has likely landed him in the UFC's best graces, but with Islam Makhachev headed to welterweight and Shavkat Rakhmonov waiting in the wings, it's unclear when Machado Garry might fight next. One day, Machado Garry sees a showdown with Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC), however. When that time comes, he'll not only be eager to back up his comments about Maddalena's skills, but also make him pay for comments Maddalena made about Machado Garry's family at the UFC 315 pre-fight press conference. "There's a playful joke about a child giving a fighter M&Ms with the baseline comedy of, 'Take these, eat these, miss weight and my daddy will step in and win a world title.' That's just a laugh. It's low-level," Machado Garry said. "Then to go out there and say the comments that he said was just immature. It shows that he's very sensitive. Because if he's said something like that, which he's never acted out of his character, which means what I was doing on fight week irritated him enough to trigger him to say something like that. It means when I do fight him, I'm going to open up a whole can of irritation. Because I reckon he's mentally weak. I can get in his head. But I'll never stoop so low as to mention his child and his children and his wife, because I don't need to. I walk in there in the octagon. I'll punch the mouth off him. I'll take his belt. I don't need to say anything."
