Ian Machado Garry says that the UFC called the right man when they were looking for a short notice main event for its fight card in Kansas City later this month.
The Dubliner has agreed to take on the surging welterweight finisher Carlos Prates on April 26 after the originally scheduled headliner between light heavyweights Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree fell apart through injury.
Garry will seek to rebound from his first career defeat last December, where he was defeated by the unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov in a top contender matchup at 170-pounds but will have to stop Prates’ 11-fight win streak — which includes ten straight knockout wins — to do so.
But despite the threats that Prates poses, Garry says that he sees this as an opportunity.
“It’s not a massive risk,” he said in a video posted to social media.
“The UFC need a short-notice opponent, they call the Irish. We’re called ‘The Fighting Irish’ for a reason! I say yes…I love to fight. There’s nothing more I love in this world than fighting. I am ready”.
Garry has previously expressed his ire at being overlooked for a welterweight title bout after it was determined that Rakhmonov would be unable to compete with welterweight champ Belal Muhammad four weeks from now — with that bout going to Jack Della Maddalena instead.
However, a win — and particularly an impressive one — against Prates later this month could usher the Irishman back toward the top of the welterweight queue.
