If Ian Garry thought Sean Strickland was bad, just wait until he steps into the room with UFC 296 headliner Colby Covington.
On December 16, Garry and Covington will make their respective returns to the Octagon as part of the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year. But before they step in the cage, ‘Chaos’ and ‘The Future’ will step on the stage for the pre-fight press event.
Garry has found himself in a bit of hot water as of late. In November, the rising Irish contender revealed that he had been booted from Team Renegade, the gym that reigning and defending welterweight world champion Leon Edwards calls home. Since then, everyone from Michael Chandler to Sean Brady has commented on Garry’s conduct while training, but the biggest controversy of all came courtesy of his wife, Layla Anna-Lee.
After it was revealed that Anna-Lee, who is 14 years older than Garry, wrote a guidebook for older women hoping to catch young athletes and celebrities, ‘The Future’ was inundated with hateful messages, chief among them coming from current middleweight king, Sean Strickland.
‘Tarzan’ took to social media in a series of videos, labeling Anna-Lee a ‘”succubus” and a “predator” which prompted Garry to threaten legal action. Garry also turned his social media channels to private, a move Covington had plenty to say about.
“I’ve had death threats. Bombings. People have wanted to kill me after Brazil,” Covington said during an interview with All Out Fighting. “I never turned off my social media. I never turned off my comments. Look at that little Ian Garry. He’s turning off his comments like a little f*cking sensitive soy boy.
“So, you know, he ain’t tough. He ain’t the biggest and baddest f*cking fighter in this division. That guy’s a f*cking joke. He’s a little f*cking kid.”
Garry is done if he says one word at the press conference 💀 pic.twitter.com/ep57kCUfh2
— Aj (@AjDuxche) December 8, 2023
Ian Garry and Colby Covington Look to Move Up the Welterweight Ladder at UFC 296
Covington will be making his first walk to the Octagon in well over a year when he meets Leon Edwards for the welterweight title. ‘Chaos’ last competed at UFC 272, scoring a win over former friend turned bitter rival Jorge Masvidal.
Covington’s latest championship opportunity came with a heap of controversy after the outspoken Trump supporter went a middling 2-2 in his last four fights with the losses coming against former 170-pound champ Kamaru Usman.
While Covington hopes to finally move from gatekeeper to titleholder, Ian Garry will look to continue his rise up the welterweight ladder. Standing in his way will be No. 8 ranked contender Vicente Luque.
Watch the full interview below:
