Garry Melts Buckley Over Face To Face Call Out

Ian Garry didn’t hesitate to share a laundry list of reasons why he had no interest in fighting Buckley.

Ian Garry is on a rocket to the top of the welterweight rankings. If you’re not fuel that will help him get there, then he’s not interested in fighting you.

That’s how “The Future” explained it to fellow 170 pound fighter Joaquin Buckley when Buckley called him out again, this time in person. The exchange was caught on camera, and Garry uploaded it to his social accounts with the caption “He’s on another planet…”

“You’re not ranked,” an animated Garry argued. “You were offered to fight a ranked guy. You didn’t. You said no. Then you start wanting to fight me. You’re in this now, right? I’m fighting No. 8 in the world, why would I look down when I’m going this way [up]?”

“You should be calling me out,” he added. “Because I’m up there. That’s the right thing. But why would I go backwards when I’m trying to be the best in the world?”

“Because I got a name,” Buckley replied.

“That does not — I don’t give a f— if you got a name!” Garry yelled. “If your ranking’s not higher than mine? Nothing to do with me.”

Fortunately for Ian Machado Garry, there are some fighters out there still willing to accept fights down the rankings. Like his next opponent, No. 8 ranked Geoff Neal, who won’t improve his position much if he trounces the No. 13 ranked prospect. If ranked fighters only fought up, no one would ever fight. If you want to know what that looks like, check out the welterweight top five situation.

After an up-and-down 5-4 run at middleweight, Joaquin Buckley returned to welterweight for the first time since 2018 against Andre Fialho in May 2023. He won that fight via head kick KO. It wasn’t quite as spectacular as the insane KO of the decade spinning back kick he landed on Impa Kasanganay in 2020 that made him a name, but it looked pretty good.

Here’s hoping Buckley uses this moment with Garry to fuel his fire as he works on his own climb up the welterweight rankings. Because “The Future” is far from the only fighter thinking like this these days.