Ian Machado Garry gets honest about final round of Carlos Prates fight at UFC Kansas City: "He was like a wounded animal"

Ian Machado Garry dominated for four rounds and survived a fifth-round storm to edge past Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City. The Irish welterweight star put together a modern-day MMA clinic for the majority of the fight. He controlled the pace with lateral movement, sharp feints, and striking attacks from different angles to dictate the terms of the fight.

Garry poured on a furious output with over 260 significant strikes and 26 takedown attempts. In doing so, he drained Prates’ gas tank while steadily building a lead on the scorecards. However, in the fifth round, Prates rallied for a late finish.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the Irishman admitted that Prates’ late surge made the final moments tense. He praised Prates’ resilience and said:

"I threw 262 significant strikes and shot for 26 takedowns, and the world just expects Carlos Prates to up the gear. I put a pace on that man. That man was lucky to be standing in the octagon. He came in that last round more dangerous than he did the other 4, because he knew he had to win. He was like a wounded animal. He was more dangerous in that 5th round, and he went out there and he tried his best. Unfortunately, his best wasn't good enough."

Check out Ian Machado Garry's comments below:

The win lifts Garry to 16-1 and back into welterweight title contention. He also confirmed he will serve as the backup fighter for the welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 on May 10.

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Ian Machado Garry maps out title plans and dream fight with Islam Makhachev

Ian Machado Garry has laid out a bold path for his future at welterweight. Garry believes he should be next to challenge for the title, considering that he's seemingly the biggest draw in the division.

If Islam Makhachev moves up to 170 pounds as rumored, Garry would gladly welcome him for a superfight against the pound-for-pound king.

Beyond that, Garry is targeting a rematch with Shavkat Rakhmonov to settle unfinished business. Speaking in the aforementioned interview with Ariel Helwani, Garry said:

"Islam [Makhachev] has said that he wants to move up to 170, so if he wants to come up, I’d more than welcome that. Then I want the rematch with Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. That’s the way I look at it. If that’s my ideal world, that’s the three fights I want... I think there’s an absolute possibility because I don’t think there’s anyone bigger to fight for the title in the division right now after May 10th... If you want to sell a pay-per-view and put on a main event, the biggest fight you could make in the welterweight division right now is me versus Belal [Muhammad]. There’s no doubt about it."

Check out Ian Machado Garry's comments below (10:50):