Ariel Helwani drops one-word reaction to Ian Garry's Bellator snub

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reacted to an old video of Ian Garry where the Irish fighter dismissed Bellator and referred to the UFC as every fighter's ultimate dream to compete in. The interview appeared to date back to Garry's days competing in Cage Warriors.

In the clip, Garry drew a football analogy to compare Bellator and the UFC, emphasizing that every mixed martial artist aspires to compete at the highest level, which, according to him, is the UFC. Garry said:

"No one wakes up going, 'I want to fight for Bellator. That's my dream.' No, it's not. UFC is the dream. If you don't aim for the UFC, that’s like a footballer saying, 'I want to play for Barnsley FC. That's my dream. I want to play for Barnsley, not Liverpool, not United. Barnsley.'"

@CageWarriors shared the video on X, which caught the attention of Ariel Helwani. The MMA journalist reshared the clip, expressing his approval with a simple one-word reaction. Helwani wrote:

“W”

Check out Ariel Helwani’s X post below:

‘The Future’ made his UFC debut against Jordan Williams at UFC 268, where he amazed fans and pundits by securing a knockout victory in the first round.

In his most recent outing, Garry faced former training partner Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. In a back-and-forth battle, Rakhmonov handed Garry his first professional career loss via unanimous decision.

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Ian Garry reflects on UFC 310 loss and vows to capture welterweight title in 2025

Fans and fighters alike praised Ian Garry for his performance against Shavkat Rakhmonov, despite the defeat. Notably, Garry managed to halt Rakhmonov's 100% finish rate, as ‘The Nomad’ had finished all of his previous opponents.

In an appearance on Ariel Helwani's show, the Irish star reflected on his loss at UFC 310 and confidently claimed that he will secure the welterweight belt in the near future. Garry said:

''Leading into the fight, everyone was talking about how he choked me in training... Well, who looked like they were going to finish the fight on Saturday? It wasn't [Rakhmonov], it was only me... When we got back to the feet, I was winning... So the confidence isn't rattled, it's not going anywhere. I know how talented I am... I have no doubt in my mind next year [2025] I'll get that [welterweight] belt, no doubt whatsoever."

Check out Ian Garry’s comments below: