It's a long game for Garry in his quest for UFC gold
Blockasset athlete, Ian Garry, has his sights set on breaking into the welterweight top 15 this weekend, but he maintains that it will be at least a few years before he vies for UFC gold.
"The Future" is gearing up for the most challenging fight of his career, as he faces Daniel Rodriguez, who boasts victories over Mike Perry and Kevin Lee, at UFC Charlotte on Saturday evening.
A victory would enable Garry to take Rodriguez's place as a ranked 170-pound fighter and bring him closer to the title currently held by Blockasset stablemate Leon Edwards.
Nonetheless, the 25-year-old is adamant about following a carefully designed six-fight plan over the next two or three years before battling for UFC championships.
Garry shared his vision with talkSPORT, saying, "I hate the fact that fighters sometimes get labeled with, ‘He hasn’t earned his title shot, he hasn’t earned his spot.’ So, I never want anyone to be able to label me with that."
To avoid such a label, Garry plans to fight six top-15 contenders, with two fights each between ranks ten and 15, five and ten, and one and five, before getting a title shot.
The Irishman views his upcoming fight as the first step in his six-fight journey and believes Rodriguez is the ideal adversary for this phase of his career.
The former Cage Warriors welterweight champion stated, "'D-Rod' is the first step in that six-fight path."
He added that Rodriguez has a respectable reputation in the organization and among fans, and it's time for him to demonstrate his skills against a ranked opponent.
A remarkable win over Rodriguez could propel Garry towards stardom like his idol Conor McGregor. However, the UFC may be tempted to push him into high-profile fights that don't align with his plan.
The Irish fighter insists that neither UFC president Dana White nor anyone else will rush him, as he aims for a lengthy title reign when he eventually secures MMA's most coveted belt.
Garry declared, "No one can push me along a road that I'm never going to go on. I'm not gonna sit here and let the UFC rush me. I'm going to sit here and do it my way."
