In a bold declaration ahead of his UFC Kansas City main event, Ian Machado Garry has claimed he’s “more Brazilian” than his opponent Carlos Prates despite his Irish roots.
Garry, who relocated to Brazil to train with the renowned Chute Boxe team, believes he has embraced the culture more authentically than his Brazilian opponent.
“Look the dude smokes American cigarettes. Drinks Irish whiskey,” Garry said about Prates during UFC Kansas City media day. “Meanwhile, I’m in Brazil having [acai and paçoquinha]. I’m more Brazilian than this guy. I’ve got his whole country wanting me to win.”
The comments came after Garry was questioned about Prates’ admission that he regularly smokes before and after his bouts. While Prates has maintained an impressive UFC record with four knockouts in his first four appearances, Garry emphasized his own professional approach.
“That’s his life choice,” Garry said. “That’s nothing for me to get involved in. He can do whatever he wants with his life and we can all sit here and talk about it. At the end of the day on Saturday night, you step into that octagon with someone who’s a complete professional.”
Garry also addressed previous remarks where he labeled Prates a “quitter” after analyzing one of his earlier bouts before earning a UFC contract. The comment provoked a heated response from Prates, but Garry stands by his assessment.
“I like to do my job and watch my opponents and watch their fights,” Garry explained. “I analyze. Look his team is called the Fighting Nerds. They do the same thing. They’ve never seen a fight where I quit before. So when I saw that, he put his hand in the air, he waved at the ref and said ‘I’m done.’ I have never seen that in MMA.”
The Irish man added: “That showed the true Carlos Prates as well. When the going gets tough he quits and on Saturday night, I’m going to put him in that position where he has to choose if he wants to quit.”
Despite Prates’ impressive highlight reel in his UFC career thus far, Garry remains unimpressed with his opponent’s capabilities compared to previous fighters he’s faced.
“I want to prove I’m the best against everyone and I think Carlos is up there,” Garry said. “When you look at my previous opponents, I don’t think he’s as awkward as [Michael ‘Venom’ Page]. I don’t think he’s as fast as MVP. I don’t think he’s as well-rounded as Shavkat [Rakhmonov] and I think obviously because of the awkwardness because I’m long and tall, he doesn’t have the stylistic irritation that Geoff Neal does.”
Garry concluded with a direct assessment of what he sees as Prates’ limitations: “This guy is a one-trick pony. He’s got a left hand, he’s got a left knee and he’s got a left leg. They’re all on one side. I’ve got everything I need. I can beat him everywhere for every second of this fight and that’s what I’m doing Saturday night.”
The UFC Kansas City main event between Garry and Prates takes place this Saturday.
