Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad fights Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC 315 this weekend, and Ian Garry is adamant that he should be next in line to fight the winner.
“The truth is, I am next,” Garry told Full Send MMA. “I am going to be the next person. I am the biggest matchup he can get in the division. No one gives a rats about Joaquin Buckley. No one gives a rats about Kamaru Usman. He should have been gone a long time ago. They’re irrelevant in my mind.
“The biggest fight that you can make after this event, when Belal wins, is Balal Muhammad against Ian Machado Garry. And let’s do it in your back garden. Let’s do it in Chicago.”
Garry, who defeated Carlos Prates in the main event of UFC On ESPN 66 last month, went on to confirm that he’s ruled out fighting anyone else except the champion.
“No,” Garry responded when asked if he’d take another fight first. “I don’t think I need to. I believe I’m the biggest name in the division. I injured Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. He’s not going to be fighting this year. I don’t see anyone who’s bigger, anyone who is more interesting to put on a pay-per-view main event and sellout a stadium. There is no one bigger. There is no one that will create the buzz and that hype,” he said.
Despite Garry’s claim it’s worth noting that he’s still only ranked 6th in the division at this moment in time, and the current No.2 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, who beat him on the scorecards in December of last year, has stated that he’s next in line for the title shot.
And Garry hasn’t mentioned the fact that the current No.1 contender is actually Sean Brady, who is on a three-fight winning streak.
Still, Garry is actually in Montreal for Saturday night’s event, having agreed to serve as the back-up fighter for the show, so anything’s possible.
