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Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates may have been chummy following their April 2025 clash, but “The Future” is all business inside the Octagon.
Garry has been telling reporters that Prates is the most deserving contender in the welterweight division. The Irish contender’s thoughts might be pivotal depending on the outcome of the UFC 330 main event. Garry is set to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC Welterweight Championship on Saturday in Philadelphia.
During a media day scrum (video via Home of Fight), “The Future” said he plans on capturing UFC gold and putting his title at stake against Prates, but he warned the Brazilian bruiser that he’s in for a rude awakening.
👀 Ian Garry already has his eyes on his first title defense if he wins the belt: Carlos Prates.
“There’s no one more deserving than Carlos Prates that’s forsure, and he’s earned this a** whooping.
I beat him for 24 minutes last time, and after I’m done with him, he’ll sleep… pic.twitter.com/c3pmWVgl9A
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 12, 2026
“Carlos Prates has earned it,” Garry said. “Nobody else in the entire division has earned it. They all need to fight at least one more fight. Prates is coming off two fights against two guys that have never been finished and he did it in insane fashion, and I whooped his ass for 24 minutes, and I did it on three weeks’ notice. So, if he wants to give me three, four months, he’s knows what’s gonna happen. He’ll be able to sleep well after the next one.”
After falling short in a competitive fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov back in 2024, Garry took on Prates in Kansas City the following year. Garry was in control throughout the fight before “The Nightmare” made a late rally attempt prior to the final horn. “The Future” won the bout via unanimous decision.
Since that fight, Prates has gone on a three-fight winning streak. He knocked out Geoff Neal with one second left in the opening round at UFC 319. Prates followed that up with a brutal second-round knockout finish over former UFC welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards. He then cemented himself as a top contender with his third-round TKO victory over another former champion in Jack Della Maddalena.
If Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates fight again, who would you give the edge to? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
