Ian Machado Garry had taken a short holiday to play golf when he heard the news.
Without his phone, which allowed him to “shut off from the world and spend time with his family”, the 26-year-old was unaware of a big news story unfolding in his home city of Dublin.
Before he drove home, his wife told him that Conor McGregor had withdrawn from his fight at UFC 303 due to an injury.
Machado Garry’s dream of fighting at the same level as his compatriot was over.
“It would have been a complete moment, from that young kid in Dublin sitting at home studying his fights, to now be sitting on the same stage as him in Vegas, signing the same posters as him and entering the same octagon as him,” Machado Garry told BBC Sport.
“It would have been like, ‘well done boy, you did it’. You both fly your country’s flag, we would have represented Ireland on the biggest stage possible.”
Ever since former two-time champion McGregor’s return was confirmed by the UFC in March, Machado Garry has been vocal about competing on the same card, targeting a fight with Colby Covington.
That fight never happened. A welterweight bout with Britain’s Michael ‘Venom’ Page has been confirmed for Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena.
Machado Garry cursed when his wife first told him, but during the hour-and-a-half drive home he began to see a positive side to the “disturbing news” about McGregor’s injury.
“If you do something now, do it for the Irish,” said Machado Garry.
“I’m still here. And if anything, the Irish deserve my performance to be bigger and better now, because of the anticipation of coming to see a Conor fight.
“All that he is, is on me now. I will carry that flag. I have no problem carrying that burden. Put him on my back, let’s go and I’ll show the world.”
‘There will never be another Conor McGregor’
A number of fighters have been compared to the 35-year-old McGregor over the years. His featherweight and lightweight title wins, combined with his brash personality, helped bring the UFC to a wider audience about nine years ago.
While a selection of athletes have matched and arguably surpassed McGregor’s achievements inside the octagon, no one outside the sport has come close to his star power and recognisability.
“Conor is the person, he will draw the attention of the big crowd to a fight. He is just so intelligent, the way he talks and builds a fight – he is an entertainer,” Machado Garry said.
“He’s the best fighter to ever step foot in that octagon.
“Do I think it’s a question of will there ever be someone like Conor? No. Conor is one of the ones, there will never be another Conor McGregor.”
But that doesn’t mean Machado Garry, who is undefeated in his 14-fight career, doesn’t believe a fighter can achieve a similar level of success as McGregor.
“Do I think McGregor can be replicated? Let’s take it to another example. There was a Pele, there was a [Diego] Maradona, there was a Cristiano Ronaldo and then there was one [Lionel] Messi,” said Machado Garry.
“There’s always going to be someone else who’s going to be the greatest fighter or the most elite athlete we’ve ever seen and really take over the sport. It’s inevitable that there’s going to be another fighter who’s going to do that.”
And Machado Garry, who sits seventh in the UFC welterweight rankings after winning seven fights since his 2021 debut with the promotion, believes he can be the man to emulate McGregor’s success.
“Because of my personality, because of the way I am as a father, as a human being, as a husband, everything I do is real, true,” said Machado Garry.
“And when you are yourself, and truly and unapologetically you, the world sees that and connects with it. I’m not putting on a show, or a false narrative.
“So it will absolutely happen and I believe that in a year or two I can be that next star.”
