Outside Source
Ian Garry wants to eventually have a lengthy reign as UFC welterweight champ. | Getty/UFC
While winning titles in multiple divisions is all the rage these days, Ian Garry has something of an old-school mentality.
“I don’t get it,” Garry recently told Games Hub. “At the end of the day, they want divisions to move and champions to stay there. When we talk about domination of the division: [Georges St. Pierre], Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, we’re talking about a decade of domination. I want that domination. Then they have no choice. I’m not vacating that belt, I’m basically retiring that belt. There’s nobody else good enough for me to fight.”
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Garry and the rest of the welterweight division has been put on hold as former 155-pound champ Islam Makhachev moves up to challenge reigning 170-pound king Jack Della Maddalena in the UFC 322 headliner on Nov. 15. The 27-year-old Dublin native already has an opponent in mind that would solidify his status as the next title challenger.
“I’m in a position where I have proven time and time again that I’ll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime, and I’m as game as game gets,” Garry said. “So I want it publicly announced that if me and Sean Brady are fighting, it’s the No. 1 contender fight. So Sean Brady should shut up and let me do all the heavy lifting, and he just needs to show up on fight night and lose. I have never ducked anyone in my life and I never will.”
Brady is coming off a dominant victory over ex-champ Leon Edwards at UFC London in March, and he has already called for a future showdown with Garry. “The Future” has lost just once in 10 Octagon appearances — a closely contested five-round defeat against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 this past December. The Irishman has since rebounded to outpoint Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City in April.
Garry Sets Lofty Future Goals
Though he has yet to capture UFC gold, Garry has high expectations for himself in the years to come.
“I want to guarantee myself as the next in line for the world title. I want to win that world title and I want to prove to myself and to the world that I’m the best welterweight on the planet,” he said. “There will be a point in time where there is no one worthy enough to fight for that title. I’m going to move up to middleweight and I’m going to win the middleweight title, and I’m going to set off into the sunset.
“There is going to be no doubt that my name is in that conversation for the greatest fighter of all time.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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