UFC analyst praises Ian Machado Garry for fighting Carlos Prates

Michael Bisping credits Ian Machado Garry for facing Carlos Prates on short notice.

Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) takes on Prates (21-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC) April 26 in the UFC on ESPN 66 main event at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Prates was already in camp, but for Geoff Neal at UFC 314 on April 12. His bout was scrapped when Neal withdrew. Machado Garry didn’t have a fight booked, but jumped on the opportunity when the promotion was offered a new UFC on ESPN 66 main event after Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree was canceled.

“I think it makes all the sense in the world,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “For Carlos Prates, it’s a chance to get a big win over somebody like Ian Garry. And for Ian Machado Garry, he gets to step in there with a hot prospect right now. Someone that’s knocking everybody out, someone that’s a lot of fun, someone that likes to party, someone who doesn’t give a sh*t what people think.”

This marks the second-straight time Garry will be facing a dangerous contender on short notice. This past December, Garry was pulled from his UFC on ESPN 63 headliner vs. Joaquin Buckley in order to face Shavkat Rakhmonov a week earlier in a five-round title eliminator at UFC 310. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.

“Fair play to Ian Garry for stepping up to the plate here because this is not an easy matchup,” Bisping said. “Ian Garry, what is he going to do? I don’t think he’s going to go out there and look to take down Carlos Prates. Yes, of course it’s mixed martial arts, but Carlos Prates training with the Fighting Nerds, these guys are ready for everything.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 66.