Ian Machado Garry hopes to provide an explosive reminder of his skills when he faces welterweight rival Carlos Prates in Kansas City on Saturday night.
Following a close decision defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December, Machado Garry returns against Prates as he attempts to stake his claim for a welterweight UFC title shot.
Garry, nicknamed ‘The Future’, is planning to deliver an emphatic victory in the main event that will restore his reputation.
“That [Shavkat fight] was so much fun and I enjoyed every second of it,” he told Sky Sports MMA Club.
“I enjoyed the short notice [call-up,] the excitement preparing for this boogeyman that they called him.”
“I am far better than I believed I was, go show the world. I do not see Carlos Prates getting to the end of the second [round] and if he does, fair play to him. But then I’m not going to let him get past the third.”
Machado Garry’s bout against Prates comes only a few weeks prior to current champion Belal Muhammad defending his welterweight strap against Jack Della Maddalena, who replaced the injured Rakhmonov.
Despite his loss to Rakhmonov, Garry believes he should still have been considered as an opponent for Muhammad.
“I feel like when you do a number one contender fight, and fair enough my hand didn’t get raised and I don’t believe I won the fight, I believe it was 3-2 to Shavkat. [However], when Shavkat can’t compete because of an injury to his knee that I absolutely caused in that fight. I may not have won the battle, but I won the war. [So,], to not even get a call [from the UFC] I felt was disrespectful.
“It irritated me that I didn’t even get the respect of a call to say, would you [fight Belal Muhammad for the UFC title]?”
Feelings of frustration later transferred to anger for the Irishman who was passed over by someone with recent injury problems in Maddalena.
“I was seething, just seething when I found out they were giving it to a guy that has been injured and hasn’t fought for a year. For me it was more of a respect thing,” he said.
“I know what Jack [Maddalena] has done and what Jack can do in this division. It’s not against him, but the guy has been battling injury.”
With title implications on every fight going forward for Machado Garry, a statement performance is imperative against Prates who’s formed an 11-fight win streak.
Garry said: “April 26 when I knock out Carlos Prates, you’ll see [how I demand a title shot.] That’s my way of doing things, I don’t need to talk [constantly over social media]. I don’t need to say it to your face, but I’ll say it after when I’m on that microphone.
“The truth is [Maddalena] vs Belal isn’t as interesting as Machado Garry vs Belal and that’s the reality of the situation. I am far more interesting in and outside the octagon. There is going to be more people paying for pay-per-views and more people paying to be in that be in that arena [to] watch my main event.”
