Colby Covington is just one of several fighters Ian Garry wants to face to prove his place among the best in the world.
The Irish UFC star is closing in on the top five of the division after defeating Geoff Neal at UFC 298, in what was likely the biggest win of his career. On the night of the fight, Garry called for his shot against fellow outspoken contender Colby Covington and the two welterweights have been going back-and-forth ever since.
Covington has taken shots at Garry and his wife, Layla, while ‘The Future’ has taken jabs at Covington’s past, noting he has failed in all three of his attempts to capture UFC gold.
‘Let Me Dominate Them And Then Give Me My Title’
Garry has not yet reached a title fight in the promotion, but feels as though a win over the former title challenger will get him that much closer to the belt. However, it’s not just one and done for Garry. No, the undefeated fighter would like to get more experience before he meets Leon Edwards or whoever is the champion, should he get to the pinnacle.
“It could get me a title shot because everyone’s gonna talk about me and Colby. When I knock Colby out, when I retire him, everyone’s gonna talk about me. So, beating someone of his profile, beating someone with the respect that the fans give him, puts me in that position that if I wanted, I could call for a title shot and I could get it. But, I don’t want a title shot after this,” Garry revealed to MMA Fighting.
“I want beat another [top contender]. I wanna beat one of the baddest men on the planet. I wanna fight an Usman, a Shavkat. Give me one of the guys that are one or two in the world. Let me dominate them and then give me my title.”
Former champion Kamaru Usman is the #1 contender in the welterweight division with 18-0 Shavkat Rakhmonov trailing behind him at #3.
More On The Matter
For Garry, the ongoing rivalry with Covington isn’t just business… it’s personal.
The UFC Welterweight wants to make ‘Chaos’ pay for all the outlandish trash talk he’s been cooking up about him and his wife, which started to spread as early as UFC 296 in December. Covington’s been using the same antics for years and it continues to this day.
Garry plans to change that in a potential ‘retirement fight’ against the equally noisy contender.
“I don’t think the guy deserves any respect in the world, to be honest with you, man, the s*** he talks,” Garry continued. “But I’ll step into the Octagon and I’ll retire him. That’s my goal. My whole goal to when I fight Colby Covington is so that he never puts on MMA gloves ever again.”
“I’d like to fight maybe International Fight Week. Look, if Colby wants to fight his back garden tomorrow, I will fly to Miami and fight about his back garden. I don’t care when it is. I just want him as the opponent. I want him to be a man and step into the octagon and face his fears. Face the man who he’s talked a lot of s*** about and watch what happens when you get in there. I’ve got him, he’s gonna look after me. God will be good. He will give me Colby Covington whenever, wherever I want him. And he will say, Ian, have fun.”
Garry Says Covington ‘Doesn’t Stand A Chance’
Colby Covington’s best days could arguably be behind him at 36 years old. No matter the case, Ian Garry says he would have beaten Covington in his prime.
“Even if it was the best Colby Covington we ever seen, he would never stand a chance against me. No matter how good Colby Covington ever could be or would be, he would never be able to beat me. I’m too elite. I’m too fast. I’m too technically brilliant. He just doesn’t stand a chance.”
Only time will tell if we’ll see Colby Covington and Ian Garry collide down the line.
