Rising UFC welterweight Ian Garry made headlines this week for his comments embracing his Brazilian fans and hinting at plans to represent Brazil in addition to his native Ireland. Garry, who is married to Brazilian native Layla Machado, explained that he intends to obtain a Brazilian passport out of his love for the country and its fans.
In a recent interview, Garry said “I tell you one thing. I’ll tell you one thing. Brazilian fans. I am going to get my hands on a Brazilian passport and I’m going to wear yellow shorts in the UFC soon. I promise you that’s coming. The love I get from Brazil is so, so important because I only want to go out there and represent the best of Brazil.”
The Irish star, currently undefeated at 9-0, explained that by representing Brazil, he wanted to showcase the “beauty of jiu-jitsu” and the “energy that the Shooto Brazil family has,” referring to the MMA team led by Andre Pederneiras.
Garry also directly addressed Brazilian fans, saying “I want the Brazilian fans to know that when I fight, I am carrying the flag for Brazilians now as well as the Irish. I want you guys to enjoy my run to be a world champion, because you guys can say when I win the world title that the Brazilians have a new champion.”
While Garry is still early in his UFC run, his embrace of Brazil and his wife’s home country shows his eagerness to pay respect to his fans worldwide. As Garry works toward his goal of becoming a UFC world champion, fans in both Ireland and Brazil may soon share the glory.