RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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PHILADELPHIA – Ian Machado Garry has lofty goals heading into UFC 330.
At 28, Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) sees an elongated period of time for him to etch his legacy with accomplishments atop the welterweight division. On Saturday, he has the chance to obtain UFC gold for the first time when he challenges Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC). The two fighters headline UFC 330 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Machado Garry's plan includes title defenses and impressive wins against the best opponents available. It also includes being the most visible and successful representative of Ireland in combat sports. One thing it doesn't necessarily include, however, is somehow overtaking Conor McGregor's status as an Irish icon.
"Being the face of Irish MMA is going to be a tough ask when you have such an iconic fighter from the same country like Conor McGregor," Machado Garry told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday. "It is never something I've thought about: being the face of Irish MMA. However, I want to make it abundantly clear: Since I've entered the UFC, I've been the only one flying the flag. I've been the only one getting the wins in the UFC since then. Many have tried, many have failed. But I've been the guy consistently showing up and getting wins at the highest level of the sport. I am the new face of Irish MMA, but I don't think I'll ever be the face of Irish MMA with all of these goals I wish to achieve.
"I'm talking about a decade of domination. I'm 28 years of age. (Alexander) Volkanovski is still champion of the world. He's 38. Justin Gaethje just won a title in his third attempt. He's 38 years of age. I have 10 years of domination in this sport against the next best opponent every single time. Something that excites me has been the champion of the world, fighting the right fight, the person who deserves the title shot the most, which is something I don't feel like the UFC has always done. But that's my job as the champion, to make sure the rightful contender gets the shot every single time."
The Croke Park dream
Rather than be pinned against McGregor (22-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in a theoretical, subjective debate, Machado Garry would much rather unite with him to bring the largest MMA event the likes of Ireland has never seen.
"I've been talking about trying to get the UFC back to Ireland since I got here," Machado Garry said. "It's not happened. I understand why. I understand reasons, logistics, whatever it is. But I've been very consistent with this: when I get this belt, I have a lot more power to try to dictate where we fight. I have a lot more power to try to get us back. Obviously, there's always been a lot of speculation about Conor McGregor having a Croke Park event. Next month, one of the greatest fighters in Irish history, Katie Taylor, competes at Croke Park. If the event goes smooth and successfully, then why couldn't the UFC do an event where maybe me and Conor are main and co-main in Croke Park? We don't need anyone else. As long as I'm champion of the world, we bring a Carlos Prates or a Shavkat Rakhmanov or maybe an Islam Makhachev rematch, why not? Anything's possible. I'd love it."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ian Machado Garry envisions '10 years of domination' if victorious at UFC 330
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