Ian Machado Garry has doubts that his detractors will diminish following another victory. Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is set to face off against Geoff Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) this Saturday at UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), taking place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Garry has been embroiled in a plethora of online controversies and has faced negative press. Initially, he was slated to go up against Vicente Luque in December at UFC 296, but due to pneumonia, he had to withdraw from the welterweight bout. Despite his eagerness to return to the octagon this weekend, he doesn’t anticipate a change in public opinion, regardless of his performance.
“I remain unconvinced that any display I put on will silence my critics,” Garry shared with TNT Sports. “There will always be individuals who harbor animosity. The more accomplishments one achieves, the more detractors emerge. Unfortunately, this is the current state of the online community, and it’s absurd. However, will I utilize this negativity as motivation to deliver an outstanding performance and, perhaps, provoke them even more? Absolutely, why not?”
“Why not exacerbate their irritation further and emerge victorious? Why not dominate Geoff Neal and stand triumphantly over his defeated body, gazing at the crowd and observing their expressions? This is my forte. This is what I excel at,” Garry added.
Prominent figures such as Colby Covington and former middleweight champion Sean Strickland have taken aim at Garry and his personal life. The audacious Irishman believes that everyone benefits from mentioning his name, and he expects this trend to continue as he achieves greater success.
“The reality is that the MMA community should express gratitude because any videos featuring my name garnered significantly more attention and views,” Garry asserted. “Everyone jumped on the bandwagon, discussing and sharing these videos, even though they lacked factual accuracy or proper research. Nonetheless, this time around, I will fulfill my responsibilities and emerge triumphant. I will improve my record to 14-0, and if anyone has an issue or something to say, it holds no significance to me whatsoever.”
According to the Source mmajunkie.usatoday.com