UFC 303 was going to be a special moment for [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]’s fighting career.
Not only was the UFC welterweight contender taking another step forward in his promising career, but he was also going to be fighting in the same event as his childhood idol [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]. McGregor, the biggest star in the history of the sport, inspired Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) to take up MMA and chase a career as a professional fighter.
However, the dream to share a card with McGregor came to an end last week, as McGregor had to withdraw from his fight with Michael Chandler due to injury.
“The only reason I’m fighting anyone on June 29 was because I wanted to fight on the same fight (card) as Conor,” Garry told MMA Junkie. “I wanted to represent Ireland side-by-side with Conor and do our country proud. The two biggest stars in MMA in Ireland, representing our country on the biggest stage possible, breaking records in the UFC – which Conor already did. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to get together as a team and represent our country.”
Garry still remains on the card, as he’ll be taking on Michael Page (22-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in the opening bout of the pay-per-view portion of the event, which goes down on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garry admits McGregor’s withdrawal hurt, but he’s optimistic that this could lead to a UFC event in Ireland.
“For me, it was going to be a full circle moment,” Garry said. “Being that kid in Dublin, going into school every Monday morning talking about Conor’s press conferences and Conor’s fights and talking to all of my friends, and that build up that excitement that he brought to Ireland and that buzz that he created. For me to be that kid in school talking about him, to be sat on the same stage as him at the press conference, and then stepping into the same octagon as him that night and representing our country on the biggest stage possible, would’ve been a dream come true.
“But God has other plans, and God works in mysterious ways. I’m excited to see Conor back and maybe, just maybe, this means we get our Ireland event. Maybe this means we get to bring it back to Ireland, and we can main and co-main together.”
With McGregor out and being the only Irishman on the card, Garry feels even a bigger duty to represent.
“I still have a job to do,” Garry explained. “I still have to go out there and prove that I’m the best fighter in the welterweight division. I have to add that No. 15 to this beautiful tally tee and take MVP’s scalp. I have to go out there and do it in beautiful fashion. Now I’m the one carrying the flag for Ireland. We were going to do it, but I’m still doing it. I’m going to go out there and I’m going to prove that the fighting Irish are still in force, that we’re going to do it together, and when we go to war, we go to war, and I’m carrying that flag.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.