Ian Machado Garry believes he ‘holds’ UFC 292: ‘I’m a superstar on this card’

Ian Machado Garry is here to help at UFC 292.

At least, that’s what the sassy Irishman said when asked about his upcoming fight with Neil Magni on Pay-Per-View. Saturday in Boston The card is headlined by a pair of title defenses, where bantamweight champion Aljamen Sterling battles Sean. High-profile O’Malley and two-time strawweight champion Zhang Weili look to defend their title for a second time when they face Amanda Lemos.

Despite having star power at the top, Machado Garry thinks the UFC is lucky to have him.

“I believe I carry this 292 card on my back. And if not for me This card will sink into the sewer,” said Machado Garry. MMA hours“With the change of opponent and everything, at the end of the day I’m just glad the fans saw me because I know there are a lot of Irish and Brazilian supporters in Boston who are excited to have me there. I’m glad that the fans saw me perform live.”

Machado Garry was originally scheduled to fight Geoff Neal on Saturday, but the top-ranked wrestler was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons. But he faces another ranked opponent in longtime tenured Neil Magny, the UFC record holder for most wins at 170 pounds with 21.

With his Irish heritage and recently spent time training in Brazil, Machado Garry expects to have the hottest reception among fighters competing at TD Garden.

“Of course,” Machado Garry said. “I’m Irish. I’m fighting in Boston They have a lot of Irish people. I just went to Brazil two and a half months ago. [and] The largest communities of Brazilians are in Massachusetts and Boston.

“This is the stage, the stage that I was in and you say, you have people like Shaun O’Malley and Aljamen and all these people. I’m a superstar in playing cards It happened in the last fight. is happening in this fight the wheel is moving I just had to show up and do what I did. and the world will see.”

Former Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion Machado Garry has impressed in five UFC appearances, defeating all of his opponents. With three of his victories coming by knockout, the 25-year-old is undefeated in 12 professional tournaments.

If he overtakes Magni, Machado Garry expects his top 10 opponent to be next.

“‘Wonder Boy’ [Stephen Thompson]Colby [Covington], [Kamaru] Usman, Kamchat [Chimaev]Belal [Muhammad]Kevin Holland is coming. He will be fighting soon,” said Machado Garry.

“There are so many people, the top 10 is what excites me. Now I’m going into the top 10. Saturday night I beat Neil Magny pretty cool and I’m in the top 10. I’m in the top 10 in a short amount of time. Every possible matchup you can let me join in is absolutely ridiculous.”

It wouldn’t just be a name that Machado Garry threw away – first he wanted to check the status before being summoned next time. After defeating Daniel Rodriguez last May He called for a fight with Magni, who at the time was booked to fight in June.

In this case, the events worked in Machado Garry’s favor, so he ended up booking the match he ultimately wanted, but “Future” didn’t want to risk the future.

“I have to wait and see if there are other people negotiating,” he said. “This is where you get into the top 10. There are only some fights you can call because everyone else, for example, Khamzat, is in mid. Deleweight, you did. [UFC welterweight champion] Leon [Edwards]Everyone thought Leon would fight Kolby. Who will Belal fight? Gilbert [Burns is] Wounded. Who is Shavkat Rakhmonov to fight? who [Sean] Will Brady fight? Who will Wonder Boy fight?

“You heard all these words. I need to talk to my people and find out who is connected. Because I don’t want to call anyone and make that fight unfulfilled. I have my people that I want to call. And I will make it happen. When I win, I know who I want. So wait until Saturday night and you will see, trust me, it will be worth it.”