Ian Machado Garry sees a perfect path to his first career title shot.

Irish superstars don’t mess around with their polarization in MMA. Obviously, Conor McGregor is in a stratosphere of his own regarding personality, and the undefeated 14-0 Garry has become either beloved or hated throughout the community.

Often hanging out on the latter side of that fence is Garry’s fellow welterweight contender Colby Covington. Brash and outspoken in the often most classless of ways, thanks to personal digs, Covington has sent verbal missiles toward Garry since his recent unanimous decision loss to the champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December. The path has been paved for Covington vs. Garry. They just need to make it official.

“I’ve made it very clear I want Colby next, he does not have any other options,” Garry told Genting Casino. “It’s the biggest fight he can have, it’s the biggest fight I can have right now, so let’s do it, let’s put on a show, let me wipe the floor with him and I’ll retire him for good.

“It seems like the UFC wants it, it seems like it’s going in the right direction, so let’s hope he signs the contract. I have agreed to fight Colby but at the moment Colby has not agreed, nor signed the contract.”

In other news, a fight that is now finally official is the long-awaited Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler showdown. UFC CEO Dana White announced the bout at UFC 300 over the weekend, as it’s set for UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas during International Fight Week.

Having idolized McGregor throughout his career, Garry sees no better spot for his potential Covington clash than right before “The Notorious’” big return.

“That would be my goal. To see McGregor vs. Chandler main event and Ian Machado Garry as the co-main,” Garry said. “I think that would be a phenomenal card.

“I look up to Conor as a role model and as an inspiration who proved anyone can achieve their dreams. He showed us you can become UFC champion and do anything you ever dreamed of. We grew up very close to each other in Dublin and we’re both on similar trajectories, obviously, he’s done it, and now it’s my turn to do it.

“I don’t see why the UFC would not put this on,” he continued. “I spoke to [UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] about it, if this opportunity comes, this has to happen. If Conor is fighting, put me on the same card. I’ll be there. It makes too much sense. Conor is the biggest star the sport has ever seen, anything that man does is a massive success. And I believe the UFC will want to match it with young prospects because we are the future of the sport.”

As great as it’s been historically, the welterweight division has seen few fresh faces enter the title scene. The former champion Kamaru Usman fought two opponents twice during his title reign before his Edwards rematch that saw him lose the title. After that, the pair had their trilogy, which Edwards won before Covington got his third crack at undisputed gold after two previously failed bids opposite Usman.

Ideally for Garry, 2024 will lead him to title tilts from here on out starting in 2025.

“Let’s say it’s Colby in the summer, I don’t like fighting in the cold, so I wouldn’t do MSG in November purely because it’s baltic, unless it was co-main against a [Kamaru] Usman or Shavkat [Rakhmonov], that would interest me,” Garry said. “What I’d like to do is fight at the end of the year in Vegas. That would be the ideal fight. Colby in the summertime and then fight Usman or a top three contender in Vegas in December and earn a world title shot next year.”

The 26-year-old Garry has leaned heavily on his striking thus far in his career. It’s no secret that’s where he’s best at, holding seven victories via knockout to only one submission. Against Covington, he’d have his first big test against a consistently aggressive wrestler. That’s assuming the usual Covington pre-Edwards loss shows up.

According to Garry, the fight is all in Covington’s hands after contracts were distributed. At its core, Covington vs. Garry would be your classic striker vs. grappler matchup. Therefore, it should favor “Chaos,” who also has the experience edge.

Garry acknowledges how the two fair on paper and remains as confident as he’s always been.

“He’s going to want to fight a stylistic matchup that suits his style — I am a striker — so stop being a p****, accept the fight,” Garry said,

“What’s Colby going to do against me? He’s got terrible striking, he only has wrestling, his Jiu-Jitsu is not that great. All he wants to do is hold on and throw a shot now and again. He doesn’t look to advance to a dominant position and smash an elbow or look for submissions. All he’s got is this cardio he’s apparently well-known for. If he tried to put cardio on me he’s going to be gassed out by the second round. I will wipe the floor with Colby, I will retire him, I’m on a different level; I’m too fast, too technical, and too good for him.”

---

TOP STORIES

Interesting. Kayla Harrison: Amanda Nunes‘ worst enemy ‘is her own mind‘

Movement. MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings: UFC 300 winners and losers create chaos across the charts

Intensity. Max Holloway brought back sparring for UFC 300, says fighting Justin Gaethje ‘like going through the gates of hell‘

Rematch. Jorge Masvidal explains frustration dealing with ‘diva’ Nate Diaz for boxing match

Madness. Alex Pereira volunteers to fight at UFC 301, says ‘it’s time‘ for heavyweight test

Answers. Monday Mailbag: Max Holloway, Alex Pereira, Conor McGregor, and the sensational UFC 300

Samurai. Jiri Prochazka plays down UFC 300 viral video of pre-fight ritual: ‘I’m not a psycho‘

---

VIDEO STEW

The MMA Hour.

UFC 301 Promo.

PFL Chicago.

Holloway’s 300 BTS.

Usman’s 300 BTS.

---

MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

---

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Back in the win column.

Before and after thread.

More shots.

A-10.

Brotherly warfare.

Next?

Clarity.

Explanations, please!

Ren meets Conor.

Release the audio! (There it is!)

Sweet Dreams.

Like butta.

Lol.

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

Can’t disagree with Ian on this one. Perfect opportunity to get all the eyeballs on him to try and get him back in the good graces of fans (or for the first time?) with the perfect fight.

Thanks for reading!

---

EXIT POLL

---

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.