Ian Machado Garry says the road to his UFC 330 welterweight title fight against Islam Makhachev has been shaped by complicated family dynamics and unwavering support from his wife Layla.
Speaking on the High Performance podcast ahead of the August 15th event, Garry reflected on how he left college to wash windows for his uncle before ever training MMA, then committed fully to the sport and eventually reached the UFC. He recalled that early on, not everyone believed in his path. "She wrote me, word for word in quotation marks, ‘Being the next Conor McGregor is not a f--king plan,’" he said of a message from his mother.
Garry explained that the doubt became fuel. "I don’t hold this over my parents, but it irritates me and pushes me to be the best, if that makes sense … To any parent in the world, if you take this approach towards your kids, it will give you a better relationship with your kids. I know I have to do it with mine because of the relationship I’ve been given with my parents: I will be behind you 110%." He added, "I’m not saying what she did was wrong," and, "But I take that, and I use that as fuel every day."
The Irish contender also revisited his breakthrough moment in the Octagon. "I made my UFC debut at [Madison Square Garden]. I made my UFC debut at MSG when I was 23, and that letter got blasted everywhere. She couldn’t fly [to the fight] because it was COVID, and I was so happy because of it."
Now, Garry says he has full backing at home, praising Layla, who has become one of the most visible wives and girlfriends associated with UFC fighters. "She is my earth angel," he said. "She is the person who, when I need guidance, I go to her. And I feel like any smart man in the world should look at his wife and know that’s the person I need to listen to. Like, if the world was run by women, we’d all live in a better world. It would all be simpler and easier. That’s the fact of the matter whether you wanna agree with it or not or you think whatever it is."
"If women rule the world and we just listen to them and let them take over, it would be an easier way."
