Despite losing at UFC 330, Ian Garry has showed that he belongs to have his name mentioned amongst the best in the sport. Defeating the number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the planet was always going to be tough, but Garry was able to produce a performance which had Islam Makhachev barely scraping rounds. Despite losing the title fight, Garry will have a plethora of options for his next Welterweight fight.
Garry has displayed that he is a very well-rounded fighter with a very high fight IQ. He seems to reamin very relaxed in the cage and seems to make the right decision in most scenarios however, many, including Dana White, have criticised the Irishman for not taking advantage of the opportunity to dethrone Makhachev, especially in the fifth round where he did not take the necessary risks.
Still, he did impress a lot of people with his performance and will have no shortage of potential fights. He is currently the number two ranked contender in the division so he will likely be looking for a high ranking opponent in his next outing.
The most likely opponents for the Garry are Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. It does seem likely that one of these two will face Islam Makhachev for the belt next so the one that doesn’t fight Makhachev would make perfect sense as Garry’s next opponent. Garry has already face Prates as he dominated the Brazillian on short notice, and with Makhachev indicating that he will likely be facing Prates next, Morales makes sense as Garry’s next opponent.
Morales presents a dangerous threat to anyone he faces. The Ecuadorian has an impressive 19-0 record with 14 of those wins coming via KO. His last performance was his most impressive as he blitzed through Sean Brady, who had been touted for a title shot himself, to secure a first round KO. He has a massive 79 inch reach and his explosive style of fighting mixed with his unbelievable power make him a dangerous opponent for Garry.
A fight between the pair seems to make the most sense for both. It would be an intriguing matchup and would present a different challenge for Garry. Garry has shown willingness to grapple with strikers before, as shown when he fought MVP, so it would not be surprising to see him adopt a similar approach.
