Conor McGregor and Ian Machado Garry recently met up for a sparring session.
The Irishmen have long shown respect to one another. Garry has said that McGregor served as an inspiration for him to chase greatness in the UFC. McGregor has publicly shown support for Garry ever since his UFC debut back in November 2021.
Here’s what McGregor said on social media after Garry paid his respects to the “Notorious” one after his promotional debut (h/t Clutch Points).
“Ian, I appreciate the respect that you showed me in there,” McGregor said. “At this time for me, coming back from this injury, that means a lot to me. This is probably the toughest couple of months I’ve ever had in my entire life, right? To see you go out there, to pay the respect like that and to go out and do that and then the step back back paw … it’s just there’s something mad about that to me, right? And I’m buzzin’ over it.”
Conor McGregor & Ian Machado Garry Spar
With the respect that both fighters have shown one another and both representing Ireland, it was only a matter of time before Conor McGregor and Ian Machado Garry spent some time in the gym together. McGregor uploaded this clip from their sparring session.
Lineage 🇮🇪🥋 @ufc @iangarryMMA #IrishMMA pic.twitter.com/M2qZPs76ar
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 2, 2023
McGregor is hoping to return to the Octagon, but many are wondering when that will be. The “Notorious” one has already passed the deadline to reenter the USADA testing pool for a 2023 return. The UFC wants to book McGregor against Michael Chandler, since the two were opposing coaches on season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” While McGregor has teased forgoing the bout in favor of a showdown with Justin Gaethje, UFC President Dana White confirmed Chandler remains the planned opponent.
As for Garry, he’s fresh off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Neil Magny at UFC 292. With the win, Garry improved his pro MMA record to 13-0. The rising star recently called for a fight against Stephen Thompson, but “Wonderboy” appears to be more interested in a bout against Kamaru Usman.
