The top of the welterweight division is getting interesting with several contenders all campaigning for title shots.
On Saturday night in Kansas City, Ian Machado Garry defeated Carlos Prates to put his name back in the mix now that he’s bounced back from a loss.
Dana White gave Machado Garry the green light for his UFC 315 plans where he hopes to make the trip to Montreal on several weeks to weigh-in as the backup fighter for the welterweight title fight.
Despite this, there are several other names that are also within touching distance of a shot against whoever comes out on top at the Bell Center on May 10.
Joaquin Buckley will try to complicate the title picture even more by beating Kamaru Usman when they face off in the main event of UFC Atlanta on June 14.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Of all the top welterweight contenders, Joaquin Buckley has probably spent the most amount of time talking about Ian Machado Garry.
The two men were originally matched up for UFC Tampa in December of last year until the Irishman was moved into the co-main event of UFC 310 with ‘New Mansa’ taking on Colby Covington instead.
After Machado Garry was beaten by Shavkat Rakhmonov in that fight, he returned on Saturday night where a strong start to the fight saw him win a unanimous decision against Carlos Prates.
‘The Future’ was in clear control for the majority of the contest but the Brazilian did find a way back in towards the end of the fight and at one point, he looked just moments away from stopping the Irishman to produce a remarkable comeback.
In the end, Machado Garry put on a smart performance that was somewhat tarnished by the way the fight ended and Buckley wasn’t impressed by his display.
‘New Mansa’ was in attendance at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City and he gave his review of the main event in an interview with Inside Fighting.
“I think it was trash. I really think Ian Garry had the potential to really kind of put it on Prates but he tried to play it safe the whole time, tried to keep from getting knockout out. Obviously, man we’ve seen that Prates in that fifth round, he was trying to get to him and everything of that nature and he turned Ian Garry to the booty boy.
“My man trynna wrestle, my man trynna hold on for dear life but I feel like Ian Garry played himself. He really could have had a performance of the night type ending but you know, too scared.”
Ian Machado Garry has already stated that he believes he will get the next shot at the welterweight title despite the other names that are in the mix.
The only man to beat him, Shavkat Rakhmonov, would still appear to be the number one contender but the likes of Machado Garry and Sean Brady picking up big wins whilst he’s inactive won’t help his case.
It’s now down to Joaquin Buckley to strengthen his title push by beating a returning Kamaru Usman in Atlanta once the welterweight title has been contested in Montreal.
At the end of his interview with Inside Fighting, Buckley gave this short message to Usman now that their fight is locked in for June 14.
“Get ready to go to sleep sleep.”
Carlos PratesIan Machado GarryJoaquin BuckleyUFC Kansas City
