IAN MACHADO GARRY was supposed to fulfill a career dream at UFC 303 this weekend.
But the hopes the Irish from the tender age of 15 he was cruelly shaken, perhaps temporarily, by a situation completely beyond his control.
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That dream, of course, was to share a card with the man who inspired him to pursue a career in mixed martial arts – Conor McGregor.
But the injury to his compatriot – who broke the little toe on his left foot earlier this month – has prevented that dream from becoming a reality for now.
The prospect of one day sharing a card and representing Ireland with McGregor put Garry through a lot of tough training.
So his devastation at The Notorious’ unfortunate withdrawal from the International Fight Week card is understandable.
“Yes, it could have [been so much bigger]”, lamented Garry in an exclusive interview with SunSport. “Sucks.
“It’s a shame because I was excited about it.
“I didn’t want to get my hopes up about it because I definitely didn’t want to be extremely disappointed.
“But obviously when you find out that the person who inspired you isn’t going to be on the card, [you’re disappointed].
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“But also the fact that the two of us could have represented Ireland together on the biggest stage and had two of Ireland’s greatest athletes together, side by side, flying the flag.
“And saying, ‘Okay, let’s show up and let’s do this together and let’s take control again.’
“That would be something I would be excited about. He will be back.
“I have no doubt he will come back.
“It sucks for now, but everyone wants to see that man fight again.”
As disappointed as he is at McGregor’s forced retirement through injury, Garry refuses to give up hope of one day making the trek moments before his hero.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said when asked if he still has aspirations of sharing a card with ‘Mystic Mac’. “It would be a dream come true for me as a fan.
“And as someone who was completely and emotionally invested in his career and everything he did.
It sucks because I was excited about it.”
Ian Machado Garry on Conor McGregor’s fall at UFC 303
“Do you understand the power that Conor had and generated in Europe.
“But in Ireland, it was a lot more for people to latch onto and get excited about.
“Like this guy from Dublin, Ireland, he was half an hour from where I live.
“He’s changing the world of MMA, he’s changing this sport and he’s having a lot of fun doing it.
“So being able to emotionally invest in his career, for him to inspire me to say, ‘This is the life I want to have.
“’That’s what I want to do. I want to be a UFC fighter, I want to be a UFC world champion, I want to do something similar, but in my own way.
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“Having that full circle moment from sitting at home in Dublin, Ireland, watching his fights at his press conferences and talking to my friends about it, to sitting side by side with him at the press conference.
“And be like, ‘Fuck, okay, that’s cool. Like, Saturday night, we go out and do it together.’
“That would be a dream come true. And I fully believe that Conor and I will achieve that.”
Garry’s desire to share a card with McGregor is only overshadowed by two things: winning UFC gold and bringing MMA’s premier promotion back to the Emerald Isle.
“Having one person at the top is great for momentum,” he said. “But having two is even better. It’s always better to have two.
“Maybe now we can do our show in Dublin, Ireland, maybe we can bring the UFC back to Ireland. I hope so.”
Before Garry can think about bringing the UFC back to his hometown, he must first solve the fascinating enigma that is Briton Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
On paper, a victory over the former long-time Bellator welterweight will be one of the biggest struggles of Garry’s career.
Surprisingly, however, ‘The Future’ does not plan to add any more life to his bid to become the second Irish fighter to win a title in MMA’s premier promotion.
He said: “When I win on Saturday night it will definitely push me up the rankings. But I neither want nor believe that this justifies a fight for the world title.
“I think there is more to be proven against competition that has been at this level for a long time, not even a fight in the UFC.”
Ian Machado Garry faces Michael ‘Venom’ Page at UFC® 303: PEREIRA vs PROCHAZKA on June 29 on TNT Sports 1. TNT Sports is available on your streaming destination Discovery+ and all major TV platforms. look here For more informations.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
