Ireland’s undefeated UFC welterweight fighter Ian Machado Garry had been asking UFC brass for an uptick in competition — and that’s exactly what he has got.
Garry, 25, who is 11-0 as a pro (and 4-0 in the UFC) will take on the experienced Daniel Rodriguez at the UFC’s upcoming May 13 card. A location for the event has not yet been announced, and news of the bout agreement was first reported by ESPN Deportes.
Rodriguez, 36, is 17-3 in the professional ranks and has been defeated just twice in nine UFC outings, beating the likes of Li Jingliang, Kevin Lee and Mike Perry along the way. He was last seen in the cage in November where he was defeated by Neil Magny by submission, and was intended to return to action in London against Gunnar Nelson earlier this month but subsequently withdrew from the fight for undisclosed reasons.
Garry, meanwhile, arguably turned in career-best performance against Song Kenan earlier in March, finishing the Chinese fighter by third-round TKO despite overcoming some damage in the first. Soon after the fight, Garry asked to return to action as quickly as possible.
The former Cage Warriors champion has also garnered the attention of Conor McGregor throughout his UFC run, with his fellow Irishman frequently shouting out Garry on social media.
