Ian Machado Garry has made no secret of the impact that Charles Oliveira has had on his recent career.
Garry, who suffered his first career defeat last weekend when he was narrowly outpointed by Shavkat Rakhmonov in the UFC 310 co-main event from Las Vegas, has recently been training alongside former UFC lightweight champion Oliveira in the Dhiego Lima operated Chute Boxe facility in Curitiba, Brazil.
The Irishman has heralded the impact on his career of his newfound training environment, with Oliveira being among Garry’s cornermen during last weekend’s event in the T-Mobile Arena.
But after the defeat to Rakhmonov which has, temporarily at least, postponed his title ambitions in the UFC’s 170-pound division, Garry has issued an apology to Oliveira for not getting the job done last weekend.
“I can sit here happy and proud of everything that I did in that Octagon,” Garry said in comments posted to his official YouTube channel, as noted by MMA Fighting. “Could it have been better? Of course, I could have got my hand raised. But I do not feel like I lost that fight.”
In the clip, Garry them embraces Olivera. “Sorry, professor. Sorry, professor,” he says.
“That fight proves that I am up there with the very best in the world, and I’m not anywhere near where I know I can be,” Garry added. “It’s time to keep growing, keep evolving. I believe it will make me more dangerous.”
While his next move remains unclear as of now, it is very likely that Garry will be handed a stern test in his next outing as he seeks to re-establish himself as a viable title contender in the UFC’s welterweight fold.
