"The fact that people say I'm the next him or compare me to him, that's cool. They're comparing me to someone who is literally the reason why I'm in the sport because I wanted to be like him"; Ian Garry more than happy to be compared with fellow Irishman Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 273
Friday 8 April 2022 09:45, UK
Ian Garry has welcomed comparisons to Conor McGregor ahead of his bout against Darian Weeks at UFC 273, saying his countryman is the reason he is involved in the sport.
The 24-year-old Irishman has a perfect record after eight fights and a first-round knockout of Jordan Williams on his UFC debut last November quickly led to talk of similarities with McGregor.
It is nine years this week since McGregor made his UFC bow and Garry is pleased to have the chance to fight and mark that anniversary.
"It's cool, we're talking about the biggest star in the sport and someone who I can attribute a lot of my career to in regards of if it wasn't for him, I don't know how long it would have taken me to find this sport," he said.
"He made it very easy for me to know what I wanted to do. Watching his rise, watching his fights with my friends, with everyone and just enjoying the energy around Ireland and excitement around his performances is what made me want to be here.
"Walking into school on a Monday morning after watching his fight in the early hours of Sunday morning, everybody wanted to talk about him.
"Everyone wanted to talk about what he did, the post-match press conferences where he's sitting there going, '50 gees, baby!' - anyone who has done that since is just copying Conor.
"It's awesome, even the fact that people say I'm the next him or compare me to him, that's cool. They're comparing me to someone who is literally the reason why I'm in the sport because I wanted to be like him."
Garry also sees parallels between himself and Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett. Particularly in the way he and the Liverpudlian fighter approach life in the UFC.
"I like Paddy a lot, I think we're quite similar personalities because he just doesn't give a rat's what anyone else thinks, and I'm very similar," Garry told Sky Sports.
"We just go out there, we do what we want and we don't care about other people's opinions. Paddy has gone in there now and whatever people say about what he is going to be, he's had two UFC fights and two first-round finishes.
"Let's see what happens, he's got a bright future if it keeps going like that. Paddy deserves his success because he's gone in there and backed it up."
Meanwhile, Garry revealed he will have support from his training partner and one of the stars on the main card in Jacksonville, Gilbert Burns, who is taking on Khamzat Chimaev.
"Gilbert is an animal, man," he added. "He just doesn't stop and I'm so excited to sit down and watch the fight. He told me yesterday in the corridor that he's going to get there early, he's going to come with me to see my fight.
"What I love about Gilbert is he really cares. When you see these guys at the top of the sport, you think they might have an ego, they might have this thing of 'I'm better than you'.
"But Gilbert was literally saying, 'I'm going to come with you guys on your bus because I want to see your fight, then I'll have time to warm up and everything, but I'm going to be there for you'."
