Ahead of his main card opener at UFC 303, Irish MMA star Ian Machado Garry made some wild accusations at the pre-fight press conference.
The undefeated Irish contender looks to continue his ascent towards the top of the welterweight tree this weekend when he takes on the iconic Michael ‘Venom’ Page in Las Vegas – with the pair of flashy strikers throwing around some harsh words at last night’s pre-fight press conference.
Ian Machado Garry makes bribery accusation to MVP ahead of UFC 303
The intensity surrounding the main card opener of UFC 303, MVP vs Ian Machado Garry, has been slowly building throughout fight week as the pair continue to trade insults in almost every single interview.
Yet their competitive rivalry came to a dramatic head last night at the PPV pre-fight press conference when the Irish contender made some wild accusations towards the MVP camp.
Not only did ‘The Future’ suggest that Page had attempted to infiltrate his training camp at Chute Box Academy in Brazil, but also that the promotional newcomer will be ‘suspended’ from the UFC over an alleged attempt at bribery.
Whilst such accusations should certainly not be taken lightly, MMA fans have come to understand that Garry has a tendency to exaggerate when he’s promoting either himself or one of his upcoming fights. Consequently, fans should take his comments with a sizable pinch of salt – so what did Garry actually say?
“I’ve already broken this man’s confidence down so much – he knows it, I don’t need to say what I’m talking about, you know exactly what I’m on about; your self-confidence is f*****,” Garry yelled over the audience.
“You know what I’m talking about, and it’ll come out, it’ll come out kid. But your brain is f***** scurrying for excuses.
“What am I talking about? Tell the people – did you and your team offer thousands of dollars to get information in Chute Box from my boys?”
Garry continued, “Did you send someone a message and offer thousands of dollars for information?” as he then switched tone to exclaim that “yet you couldn’t infiltrate the camp – the Chute Box family is too tight!
“Your little rat Jiu-Jitsu coach offered money to one of my Brazilian friends and you got nothing. Saturday night, you are f*****!
“All I know is that you’re going to get suspended after this f***** fight, you’re never fighting again after this fight. You and your Jiu-Jitsu coach are getting suspended for life.”
To his credit, MVP opted to stay well clear of such a curve ball topic, goading Garry into repeating his final line before cutting in with a boisterous “Shut the f*** up!”
Dustin Poirier argues MVP is the ‘biggest puzzle’ Garry will have to solve
Dustin Poirier is joining the ESPN broadcast team for UFC 303 and spoke after the press conference on the challenge that MVP offers to an undefeated prospect like Garry.
Whilst ‘The Diamond’ argued that MVP might not be “the most dangerous guy” that Garry has ever faced in the octagon, he’s “the biggest puzzle he’s ever had to solve.”
“We don’t know what this guy’s going to do either, he’s going to come out there and throw spinning kicks, flying knees so Ian needs to be on his P’s and Q’s.”
Interestingly, Poirier also noted that whilst there is world title contention on the line for Garry, the promotional newcomer has the chance to become a mainstay of the welterweight division.
“Long-time MMA fans know who he [MVP] is; breaking into the UFC, winning your debut, now you’re fighting a guy who people know about, a guy who talks a little bit. You have a big opportunity to beat this ‘talking guy’, the guy with the big mouth and be a staple.”
UFC 303 is scheduled to go down on June 29, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.