"His opponents weren't super good" - Gabe Green dismisses Ian Garry's impressive start to life in UFC, believes he's a 'step up' in competition for the Irishman
Ian Garry has a lot of fanfare coming into UFC 276, with some fans believing he could be the next big Irish superstar. Conor McGregor comparisons abound, but his opponent Gabe Green isn't buying into the hype.
Green got off to a shaky start in the UFC, losing his first bout to Daniel Rodriguez. He bounced back with a solid win over Philip Rowe in February 2021 and then knocked out Yohan Lainesse in April 2022, improving to 11-3. Now he faces Garry, who is undefeated at 9-0 with two UFC wins.
Sportskeeda MMA's James Lynch was in attendance at the UFC 276 media day press conference, and asked Green his thoughts on Garry. 'Gifted' said:
"I mean, he's in the UFC. He doesn't suck. He's good, he has skills. His opponents weren't super good in my opinion so it's going to be interesting to see how he deals with me, who I think is a step up in competition compared to who he's fought so far."
#UFCVegas53Bodywork for the W from @giftedgabegreen 👊 #UFCVegas53 https://t.co/OR9TByZO79
Gabe Green dismissed the idea that the momentum from his two-win streak was giving him confidence. Instead, he credited that to God.
"Like I mentioned before, God's plan. It's not even about momentum. At the end of the day I got a lot of faith, and like David and Goliath, I'm not scared or worried about anybody, God's got my back so ... I'm in there."
Watch Gabe Green talk about his fight with Ian Garry at UFC 276 below:
Green is only a +150 underdog to Garry's -175 favorite in the sportsbook odds, which says this fight isn't quite as David and Goliath as Green states. He's certainly the underdog in terms of attention, though. With this crop of rising potential stars like Ian Garry and Paddy Pimblett, he would definitely be playing the spoiler on July 2 in the T-Mobile Arena.
Ian Garry's latest tattoo is a tribute to the time Conor McGregor gave him a shout out
Ian Garry has made it no secret that he's looking to emulate Conor McGregor in every way. Why not, when 'The Notorious' was the inspiration for fellow Irishman Garry to get into fighting in the first place?
Garry has a lot of tattoos, and his latest is a little reminder of the time Conor McGregor gave him a shout out on Twitter. Following Garry's knockout win over Jordan Williams at UFC 268, McGregor wrote on Twitter:
“You little f***** daisy Ian! The step back, back paw an all ahahahaja just absolutely incredible! Congrats @iangarryMMA"
You little fuckin daisy Ian! The step back, back paw an all ahahahaja just absolutely incredible!
Congrats @iangarryMMA ☘️ ❤️
So of course Garry had to get a daisy tattooed on his wrist.
Ian Garry and Gabe Green go to war on the UFC 276 prelims, which will air on ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC.