Ian Machado Garry walkout songs: Tracks 'The Future' has used before
Ian Machado Garry is beheld as one of the fastest-rising welterweight stars in MMA. Presently, the No. 7-ranked UFC welterweight is booked to face the No. 14-ranked Michael 'Venom' Page in a highly-anticipated fight at UFC 303 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on June 29, 2024.
The 37-year-old Page (22-2) is a highly accomplished kickboxer. A former Bellator star, he's counted among the most skilled and innovative strikers to ever compete in MMA. The UK combatant made his UFC debut in March 2024, dominantly defeating Kevin Holland via unanimous decision. 'Venom's' fight against Garry is a marquee matchup on the UFC 303 fight card.
As for the undefeated Garry (14-0 MMA), he's viewed by many as a future UFC champion. The consensus is that should 'The Future' defeat Page at UFC 303, he could potentially receive the opportunity to face a higher-ranked opponent in his next octagon outing.
Which songs did Ian Machado Garry walk out to?
Ian Machado Garry has competed in multiple high-profile pay-per-view (PPV) cards in the UFC. As for his fighter walkout/entrance for some of his bouts, he's used popular rock songs. At the UFC 285 (March 2023) event, he defeated Song Kenan via third-round TKO. His entrance song for that matchup was 'Take Me to Church' (by Hozier).
The song is said to possess elements from the blues rock, alternative rock, gospel-pop, and soul genres. Crafted by Irish songwriter and singer, Andrew Hozier-Byrne, it was released in 2013 and is considered to be a massive success. The track addressed religion, society, and other cultural factors. It garnered widespread praise for its musical qualities and anti-discrimination social message.
Moreover, in two of his most recent fights, Ian Machado Garry used another wildly popular track. The song in question was 'Layla' (by Eric Clapton), a much-loved track from the rock genre.
Written by Clapton and Jim Gordon, it was created with 'Derek and the Dominos,' which was a British-American blues rock band. Recorded in 1970 and released in 1971, the song is believed to have been inspired by a timeless love story.
A 7th-century CE story, which was further popularized courtesy of legendary Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi a few centuries later, was the source of inspiration for the song. Ganjavi wrote the all-time classic poem, 'Layla and Majnun,' featuring one of the most popular romantic stories of Arab origin. It's an important, and oft-retold, story in the Arab, Persian, Indian, and other cultures too.
Ian Machado Garry beat Neil Magny via unanimous decision at UFC 292 (Aug. 2023) and Geoff Neal via split decision at UFC 298 (Feb. 2024). Garry used the song 'Layla' as his entrance theme on both occasions.
Furthermore, during a backstage interview, Garry suggested that he likes to use that as his entrance song because of its connection with his wife's name, Layla Machado Garry (aka Layla Anna-Lee). The 26-year-old stated:
"I always have a walkout song. It's the same song as always. It's Eric Clapton -- 'Layla' ... And it even means more now that everyone's talking sh** about my wife. I'm going to play it, and I'm going to make sure she knows that I love her right before I go in there."
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