Ian Machado Garry has found himself in the midst of a tumultuous week. Just as he gears up for the most significant challenge of his mixed martial arts journey, a controversy has emerged.
This controversy started when it was discovered that Garry’s wife (who is 14 years older than him) had written a book more than ten years ago. The book taught women how to draw the interest of young, wealthy athletes.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland publicly addressed the situation, referring to Garry’s wife as a ‘succubus.’ He urged Garry to distance himself from his wife.
In response, Garry’s wife defended her book by labeling it as ‘satire’.
Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo recently chimed in, speculating that this controversy might be a strategic move by Garry’s wife to gain attention. He pondered whether this was a meticulously planned move by Garry’s wife or merely an unintended consequence of her actions.
Henry said on his channel: “Whatever it is Ian Garry decides to do he decides to do, but once it gets out, but once it starts getting out to the media and guys like myself, that’s when you gotta be careful. I think when there’s too much promotion on what it is his wife or girlfriend is trying to accomplish, she’s actually done a good job. You know why? Because we’ve been talking about them.”
He went on to say, “Is this something that Ian Garry and his wife are actually plotting? Because if it is, that ‘WAG’ is getting a lot of attention. That book could become a best seller because she was able to get a young up-and-coming undefeated Irishman and she was able to make him a Machado. She was able give him her Brazilian last name. You talk about power. You talk about a woman with a plan.”
“Is it that I want to hate on his wife or [give] kudos to her? Or does she have us fooled?”
While the current scrutiny and media coverage might seem overwhelming, an even fiercer challenge awaits Ian Garry. He will be coming face-to-face with Colby Covington, a renowned UFC competitor known for his provocative verbal assaults in the UFC.
Cejudo cautioned Garry about the mental fortitude required to navigate such intense situations, especially during press conferences.
Cejudo cautioned: “You better have a lot of armor. A knife. A brick. A tank and everything under the sun because Colby Covington, he’s got something for you. I feel like if Ian Garry is going to go to these press conferences, he’s gonna have to turn into the bad guy. He just needs to accept it. Come out in all black and ask the UFC if you can have your wife next to you as you go through this press conference.”
With both Garry and Covington set to participate in UFC 296 on December 16, the pressure amplifies. Garry is slated to compete against Vicente Luque, while Covington will compete against welterweight champion Leon Edwards.