Ian Machado Garry may not have matched the recent first-round heroics of his division-mates, but he made a case for being UFC’s new No. 1 welterweight contender all the same.
The self-assured Irishman captured a one-sided unanimous decision over former UFC champion Belal Muhammad on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Qatar, winning a foul-laden contest that saw Muhammad suffer two eye-pokes. Garry then seized the microphone and made an inspired post-fight callout of the sport’s pound-for-pound king: UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev:
“Listen, I just beat the No. 1-ranked welterweight on the planet, Belal Muhammad, a former champion. There is nobody else above him other than the world champion, Islam Makhachev. Belal couldn’t take me down, so Islam, you try to take me down. I’m telling you right now, I’m the best in the world, and you have a duty to defend that belt against the best welterweight on the planet — and you’re looking at him. It’s Ian Machado Garry. You come into my division? Then you show up wherever you want in the world and I’ll be there. I’m taking that throne from you and I’m ending that continuous [win] streak. You’re done. There is nobody getting in the way of me and my future, and me and my dreams, so sign the contract and I will see you soon.”
More on this story in a moment.
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