'Ya little ****ing daisy!'
Ian Garry certainly talked the talked ahead of his UFC debut at Madison Square Garden. Conor McGregor himself could not have scripted it any better.
At UFC 268, as the crowds rolled in for a jammed pay-per-view event in New York's storied sporting arena, the young Dubliner walked the walk.
It did not go all his own way against Jordan Williams. Far from it. The 23-year-old welterweight was tagged frequently in the first [and only] round by his American opponent but he found his feet and
scored a stunning knock-out victory with a step-back punch that did a punishing job.
Ahead of that Williams fight, Garry had boasted he was going to go for a full 18 rounds of golf on Sunday morning as he would not be breaking a sweat against his opponent. He ended with a bloodied nose, but a KO finish that will get a lot of folks buying into the hype that accompanies him.
Garry's fighting idol is former UFC feather- and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, and 'The Notorious' was watching closely as his fellow Dub made a heap of people sit up and take notice.
https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1457134782354182148
Ian Garry pays homage to Conor McGregor
McGregor would go on to post voice notes on his Twitter account, where he told Garry how proud he was, thanked him for the shout-out, offered fighting tips and declared he was ready to "burst" opponents when he returned from his broken leg.
"The future is here," Ian Garry told the TV cameras inside The Octagon. "There was one Irishman that took over the UFC. It's my time now!"
UFC commentator Joe Rogan got in there for a post-fight chat with 'The Future' and it was straight out of the Conor McGregor playbook.
"F***ing right it is," he began as Rogan proclaimed, "The hype is real." Garry continued:
"Look, I just want to say, that was one hell of a knock-out, but Jordan put up one hell of a fight in that first round. For the first time in my life, I felt a little bit of nerves; little bit weird.
"23, making my UFC debut at MSG, it doesn't get bigger than this! We just shocked the world. The Irish are back, baby!
"Of course it did [feel different]. It's the biggest stage on the planet for a fighter. It's probably the most historical [sporting] venue in the world. McGregor, Ali, Mayweather, Pacquaio, everybody's fought here, and now Ian Garry has fought here. We did it, Joe."
Ian Garry declares the second Irish takeover has begun
Asked how Garry sees himself stacking up against the rest of the welterweight division, he first opted to thank his training partners and coaches.
"I'm with the best gym [Sanford MMA] in the planet, I've a lot to learn. I'm 23 years of age. We're going to be a world champion. We are taking over the division.
"Joe, a wise Irishman [McGregor] once said before me... he stepped in this very cage and he said, 'We're not here to take part, we're here to take over'. And this is The Takeover, Part Two."
Conor McGregor himself will be hoping that that first takeover he boasted about has not quite run its' course. He still has ambitions to get back and win UFC gold.
If Garry can keep collecting the wins and cashing the cheques his smack-talk is ripping out, he could find himself in title talk in the next couple of years.
