The Fighting Nerds’ four pillars — Carlos Prates, Caio Borralho, Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy — accumulated a remarkable 19-0 combined run in the UFC. But on Saturday, Ian Machado Garry brought the team’s undefeated streak to a screeching halt.
“I promise you that I hit harder than that man,” Garry told CBS Sports last week ahead of their UFC Fight Night headliner in Kansas City, Missouri. “If he wants to stand and bang, let’s find out.”
Prates, the more accomplished knockout artist, laughed at the notion, but he may have been overconfident. Garry outstruck his opponent for most of the fight, landing cleaner and more frequently. Prates found comfort by Round 4, but it was too late. In Round 5, Prates had Garry in survival mode after landing multiple hard ground strikes. It salvaged Prates’ reputation as the harder hitter, but no one can deny that Garry was game to fight. The judges awarded Garry a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46).
“That man hits like a truck,” Garry said in his post-fight interview. “But to answer your question, I was completely in control. I wanted to be smart and safe and not do something stupid.”
Pro-Garry chants suggest he’s winning fans over. Garry’s cockiness, defensive responsibility and tendency for close fights rub people the wrong way. However, his willingness to take short-notice fights against Shavkat Rakhmonov and Prates balanced his reputation. To that point, a bloodied Garry announced he’ll begin preparing to potentially fill in for UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad or Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 on May 10.
“In two weeks time, I’m flying to Canada,” Garry said. “I’m the official back-up for the world title fight. I’m next in line for the world title fight.”
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