#4. Warlley Alves
On paper, this is a rather tough matchup for 'The Future'. He only has two fights in the company thus far, whereas Alves has taken on names such as Colby Covington, James Krause and pound-for-pound great Kamaru Usman. Although the difference in experience is enormous, Garry is on his way up while the Brazilian has been hot and cold in his past 6 bouts.
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Furthermore, this has the potential to be a great fight. Both are great athletes and phenomenal fighters. While the 31-year-old could very-well still have an abundance of fight in him, he's coming off of a knockout loss to UFC newcomer Jeremiah Wells. It's not unlike the Brazilian to take on the new wave of UFC talent, so why not add Ian Garry to the resume?
'The Future' is building his brand and stacking wins. As he spends more time in the octagon, his following has lifted. Not to knock on his previous opponents, but they have nowhere near the merit that Alves has in terms of opponents fought. This potential matchup could do the 24-year-old wonders should he be able to defeat Alves.
#3. Mike Malott
If you watched Ian Garry's last performance, you may recognize Mike Malott. 'Proper' fought Mickey Gall just 3 fights before the 24-year-old made his walk towards the octagon at UFC 273. With no easy task in front of him in the submission specialist, the 30-year-old was able to discard Gall within the first round.
Opposite of previous entries, this would be more of Garry taking a step back to give 'Proper' an opportunity. Although they're both far from the top 15 and the rankings are often fickle, 'The Future' has momentum and popularity on his side and could probably move forward in the division. Malott garnered attention too, however. A heartfelt post-fight interview after starching his opponent had fans buzzing about him for a portion of the night.
The Canadian is 8-1 with a 100% finishing rate. A debut as impressively as his could warrant him another popular name for his next fight. Also, having both left UFC 273 seemingly uninjured, the timeline also makes sense.