Can Ian Garry Put a Stop to the Fighting Nerds Run?
The UFC returns to the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri for UFC Fight Night: Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates. The fighting nerds are on a crazy run right now as they have contenders across four divisions. No one has found an answer to their electric striking and versatile ground game and defense. Out of all the ranked fights they have competed in, I think this is the toughest fight yet. Can Ian Garry end the hype train that is Carlos Prates, or will Prates and the fighting nerds continue their rampage over the UFC?
Ian Garry has shown that his striking is high-class and he can stand with almost anyone. However, he has also shown that his grappling and wrestling are just as good if he needs to rely on them at any time to change the pace of the fight. Fans weren’t sold on Garry’s potential after he had to grapple and hold on for dear life to steal a victory from Michael Page. However, after his performance in a five-round grueling contest with Shavkat Rakhmonov, Garry might only be scratching the surface of what he could potentially become. I think this is a great matchup for the future as he can put his name right back in line for a title shot by stopping Prates' hype in his tracks. Prates is very dangerous on the feet, but we haven’t seen him dragged into deep waters and main event rounds, so we don’t know how that power and cardio will hold up. We also don’t know how well his grappling defense is; if it holds up, just Garry wearing on him could drain his energy and not make him aggressive. I think Garry has the tools to shut Prates down and weather whatever comes back in his direction. If he is able to survive the early rounds, I think he will be able to pull out a decision victory.
Carlos Prates has looked unstoppable so far in his UFC stint. He has won his first four fights all by knockout in the first or second round. He was the first fighter to ever knock out Li Jingliang, and he did it with ease. He followed that impressive win by dominating Neil Magny in the first round. Magny has set the bar in the Welterweight division for prospects to pass if they want to become legit contenders. Now is his real test to propel him towards a title shot. Prates is a marksman who can hit you hard and often. He can end a fight in numerous ways. His Muay Thai is incredible, and he mixes his strikes well. If he can keep this fight on his feet and put Garry against the fence, he could very easily find his shot to put him out. If he can steady his output deeper into the fight, that would prove an even larger danger for all Welterweights to fear. We will see just how well-rounded the nightmare is.
The Welterweight Division is relatively wide open in regards to who is challenging next after Jack Della Maddalena. After Sean Brady dominated Leon Edwards in his last fight, he was very open to a fight with Ian Garry if everything lines up. If Garry can win this fight, a title eliminator could be next against Brady. Prates has so many different options to pursue if he can pull this off. We will see what happens this Saturday, don’t miss out on all the action at 9:00 P.M. EST.
