Ian Garry improved to 6-0 in the UFC following a dominant decision win over Neil Magny this past weekend. With the victory, the Irishman is now ranked No. 11 in the welterweight rankings. One would imagine a title shot would be next with one or two big wins over contenders ranked above him given his hype. However, Garry revealed post-fight that he wanted at least four more fights before thinking about a title shot. His reasoning? To be fully prepared for every possible threat.
“Four more. I'm not rushing. I'm 25 years of age — I don't need to rush,” Garry said at the post-fight press conference. “I need to develop my skill set to be the best I possibly can be because when I hold that belt, there's nobody taking that belt off me. I'm retiring as the champion, I'm retiring as the greatest of all time and nobody's going to come close to me.”
It's a great mindset to have as rushing into things can lead to career suicide. It's harsh, but just look at Darren Till. So with that said, here are four potential fights for Ian Garry to win before he gets that first-ever UFC welterweight title shot.
Stephen Thompson
This is the fight that makes the most sense. It's one that Garry called for in his post-fight interview and even in the video above, as part of his master plan involves beating whom many regard to be the best striker in the welterweight division in Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
“I want to beat Wonderboy,” Garry said. “I want to have that title as the greatest striker in welterweight history. That's what I want and I need to beat Wonderboy to do that.”
Whether Thompson — who is currently ranked No. 7 — agrees to the fight remains to be seen as he's 40 and only wants to fight opponents ranked above him as he still has hopes of becoming a champion. UFC president Dana White already revealed Thompson turned down a fight with Garry. However, there's always the possibility of him getting convinced later on, especially as White seems intent on having Garry compete at the UFC 295 card in Madison Square Garden in November. It's a card Thompson also wants to compete on given his history at the venue. Perhaps, money will talk?
Sean Brady
Should Ian Garry get the Wonderboy fight and earn a win, he will likely move up to No. 7 in the rankings. However, his next fight should be someone ranked below him in the No. 9-ranked Sean Brady. Why? There's a simple answer provided by Garry himself.
“But then, there's a lot of grapplers in the division,” the 25-year-old said regarding what comes after Thompson. “I'm going back to Brazil… I'm going to absolutely hound jiu-jitsu out of it. I'm going to work on my wrestling.
“And I'm promising you now — when those guys shoot, when those guys feel the speed and the kicks and the power that I have in my hands and just the understanding of striking, when they shoot, they're going to go, ‘F**k, he's just as good on the ground.'”
It's no secret that the welterweight division has grapplers galore. In fact, other than Thompson, Shavkat Rakhmonov and the champion in Leon Edwards, everyone in the top nine predominantly grapple or wrestle. Brady is coming off his first career loss, but remains an accomplished wrestler. A win over him would certainly give Garry the confidence against the higher-ranked grapplers in the division.
Belal Muhammad
A potential win over Brady likely won't move Garry up too much, but should give him an opportunity to face someone ranked high. In steps Belal Muhammad who is currently ranked No. 3. Now, by this time, he should have received a title shot as he is currently on a 10-fight unbeaten streak. But suppose he still somehow hasn't or ended up losing his title shot, he'd be a perfect next step for Garry.
While Muhammad has shown that he can strike with the best and grapple with the best, he will more than likely look to keep his distance against “The Future” before eventually looking to shoot and keep him down. It'll be a massive test for Garry before the final one.
Colby Covington
The final boss for Garry could come in the form of Colby Covington. Covington — ranked No. 2 — looks set to face Edwards for the welterweight title at UFC 295 and as far as wrestling threats go, he's one of the biggest due to his relentless takedown attempts and cardio for days.
Fighting and beating Covington would not only show that Garry's ready for just about anyone in the division who dares to wrestle or grapple with him — it'd also show his endurance and ability to potentially go the distance. It may even be the best time to face him as Covington turns 36 next year.
From there on out, the sky's the limit for Ian Garry.
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