"It makes so much sense" - Ian Garry still not ruling out a possible fight against top welterweight vet

Ian Garry hasn't ruled out a fight against Stephen Thompson, despite 'Wonderboy' reportedly turning down an offer to face 'The Future' in the cage. Garry recently secured a lopsided unanimous decision win over Neil Magny at UFC 292. Shortly after the fight, the Irishman used the post-fight octagon interview to call for a showdown against Thompson.

'The Future' stated that a win over 'Wonderboy' would strengthen his claim of being the best striker in the welterweight division. However, at the UFC 292 post-fight press conference, Dana White revealed that Thompson had already turned down an offer to fight Garry.

Although Stephen Thompson hasn't directly responded to White's comments yet, it seems that Ian Garry is still hopeful about their matchup materializing. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, the 25-year-old Irishman stated:

"I think there’s every possibility this fight happens. It makes so much sense for this fight to materialize for the fans, for the UFC, the buildup to the fight... I am excited to fight ‘Wonderboy’, and I believe that this matchup will materialize... So my energy, everything that I have, is absolutely expecting that ‘Wonderboy’ fight to be the contract put down in front of me soon."

Watch the full video below:

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Stephen Thompson explains why he won't fight Ian Garry next

Stephen Thompson recently opened up about his future career plans and weighed in on a potential matchup against Ian Garry this year. As mentioned earlier, 'Wonderboy' was called out by the fast-rising Irish prospect after an impressive showing at UFC 292. Unfortunately, just as fans were getting hyped about an electrifying striker vs. striker fight, UFC supremo Dana White claimed that Thompson had already turned down the Garry fight.

In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Stephen Thomson reacted to being called out by Ian Garry and explained why he turned down the offer to fight the Irishman. While 'Wonderboy' was impressed with Garry's performance, he claimed that he's looking to make one final run at the title and has former champion Kamaru Usman in his sights. In this regard, he stated:

"Great performance by Ian. He did call me out... You know, he’s moving up the rankings, and, at this point, I don’t want to be a gatekeeper. My focus right now is a guy who recently called me out as well, who was ranked number one for a very long time, and was a champ – Kamaru Usman. That fight makes sense, especially for me, someone who is 40 years old and wants to go for that one last title shot."