Ian Machado Garry | Promise Fulfilled

Shortly after claiming the title, he signed with the UFC and relocated to South Florida, settling in at what is now known as Kill Cliff FC, making his promotional debut at UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden in New York City against Jordan Williams. This wasn’t a coincidence; it was a grand introduction, and in retrospect, it’s wild to see Machado Garry tucked away as the final bout of the five early preliminary card fights that evening in NYC, but that’s certainly a case of seeing things based on where he is today, not where he was then.

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The matchup with Williams made sense — he was a Dana White’s Contender Series alum who has yet to find his footing inside the Octagon and wasn’t such a considerable threat that you worried Machado Garry would get steamrolled in his debut. It was a favorable matchup for the incoming Irish rising star, but one that would also serve as a solid way to gauge the level of expectations fans and observers could rightfully put on the tall and rangy newcomer’s shoulders.

The performance wasn’t flawless, but Machado Garry warmed into his first UFC round and ultimately put Williams away in the final seconds of the first, taking in the moment in the center of the Octagon afterwards with Joe Rogan and making his intentions clear.

“I have a lot to learn — I’m 23 years of age — we’re gonna be a world champion,” he said confidently, his arm draped over the analyst’s shoulder. “We’re taking over the division. Joe, a wise Irish man once said before me — he stepped in this very cage and he said, ‘We’re not here to take part; we’re here to take over’ and this is The Takeover, Part 2.”

Though he landed on the wrong side of the scorecards, Machado Garry didn’t lose any ground; instead, he showed he could hang with someone universally regarded as a deserving contender and possible future champion, cementing for many others what he’d believed all along: that the same descriptors applied to him as well.

A little more than four months after facing Rakhmonov, Machado Garry made his first main event appearance, besting knockout artist Carlos Prates by decision in Kansas City, before returning in November and outhustling the former champion Muhammad in Qatar to ensure he was on the short list of names to possibly face Makhachev in his first title defense.

THE EXPECTATIONS

When Machado Garry sat down with UFC.com earlier this week, he mentioned a quote that he likes a great deal that says, “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations; I’m here to live up to mine.”

It might be the best way to understand the polarizing contender, who has — at least in terms of results — done what he’s said he was going to do to this point, and enters Saturday’s championship main event fully confident that he’s going to complete his mission with aplomb this weekend.

The spotlight has always been on Machado Garry and his unflinching self-belief from the outset of his career has made him someone who is often looked at more critically than many of his contemporaries. Whether you think he’s likable or unlikable, genuine or fake, none of those things should factor into assessing his talents, his results, or how successful he has been inside the Octagon, but they invariably creep in and color how he’s discussed and portrayed.

He’s risen to challenge for UFC gold quicker than “Suga” Sean O’Malley and did it with the same number of losses along the way. But O’Malley’s brashness and confidence are colorful, and his journey to the top was punctuated by finishes, so while he’s largely beloved, Machado Garry is judged through a different lens.

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Rather than lauding him for beating Prates, who has literally knocked out everyone else he’s faced to this point in his UFC career, many dog him for avoiding the Brazilian’s power in the final round when the only chance “The Nightmare” had to win the fight was to catch Machado Garry and put him out. Rather than win and continue to advance his career, many wanted Machado Garry to put himself in harm’s way, and diminish the result because he rightfully refused to do so.

Mix in the different moments where things he’s said or the nature of his relationship have become talking points for far too many people and you have an athlete who has been under intense scrutiny and saddled with lofty expectations, surrounded by many who seem more interested in seeing him fail than succeed, and still work his way to exactly where he said he would be four years, nine months, and seven days ago when he made his promotional debut.

“The future is inevitable; I have it tattooed on my chest,” he said during his conversation with Pavacich. “Love me, hate me — I’m going to be the best in the world.”

THE TRUTH

Whether he wins or loses this weekend, there is no denying that Ian Machado Garry is an incredible talent and someone who has come closer to achieving the lofty goals he set out for himself even before he actually touched down in the UFC than countless others who have declared themselves future champions and come up considerably short.

But if he does win, all the “… yeah, but…” statements, all the critiques of the path he took, the decisions he made inside and outside of the Octagon should stop, at least for a night or two.