The outspoken Irishman has hit his next opponent with a bold claim ahead of their highly anticipated welterweight showdown.
Ian Machado Garry wasn’t happy after missing out on the next welterweight title fight which is set to take place next month at UFC 315.
However, this didn’t stop the controversial star from putting his spot in the rankings on the line against one of the most dangerous rising contenders in the division.
Machado Garry will face Carlos Prates in the main event of the Octagon’s return to Kansas City on April 26 in a great matchup between two lethal strikers.
Prates was originally set to face Geoff Neal at UFC 314 but after that fight fell through, he received an even bigger opportunity to take on the #7-ranked contender.
Ian Machado Garry labels Carlos Prates a ‘quitter’ after watching footage of a previous stoppage loss
Ian Machado Garry has received some criticism in the past for the way that he has spoken about his opponents before sharing the Octagon with them.
His prior comments positioned him as the heel ahead of his bouts with both Geoff Neal and Neil Magny though he has been able to swing public opinion back in his favor in recent times.
In a recent video put out by the 27-year-old, he commentated over footage of Carlos Prates from earlier on in his career.
‘The Nightmare’ is currently riding an 11-fight win streak with 10-consecutive knockouts, four of which came inside the Octagon last year after he debuted in February.
Prates does have some losses on his record though he has clearly made significant improvements in recent years having not lost since 2019.
The Brazilian has been stopped by strikes twice in his career and Machado Garry is confident that he can take this tally up to three by derailing the hype train.
In the video, the Irishman watches back one of Prates’ knockout losses where after withstanding some punishment, he seemingly calls the fight off himself by making it clear that he can’t continue.
Machado Garry was extremely critical of his next opponent’s actions regardless of how far he has come since that stage of his career.
“Here look at this, this is a video of Carlos Prates and his true fighting spirit, it’s called being a quitter. He had just been beaten up all of the rounds prior. Puts his hand up, shakes his head, says, ‘I’m done,’ and then just drops to the ground in absolute despair because he knows that deep down, he’s not a fighter.”
Fighters used to also criticize Charles Oliveira for the same thing
Whilst this footage of Carlos Prates doesn’t paint him in the best light, a lot has changed since then and he’s clearly come into his own as a fighter over the past few years.
A man that Ian Machado Garry knows very well, Charles Oliveira, was often criticized for similar things with his opponents questioning whether he had the neccesary heart to compete at the highest level.
‘Do Bronx’ silenced these accusations later on in his career by coming out on top in several firefights during his incredible lightweight title run.
Machado Garry saying scathing things about his opponents isn’t anything new but he might be in for a shock if he believes that Prates will be easy to discourage given his current winning streak and momentum.
