Ian Garry warned his upcoming opponent Gabe Green not to mistake his confidence for arrogance heading into UFC 276.
Undefeated former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Garry is 2-0 under the UFC banner, and faces a step up in opponent this weekend when he takes on Green at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garry exudes confidence, and did so again when he faced the press at the UFC 276 media day at the UFC Apex on Wednesday, but the Irishman took issue of Green’s suggestion that he was developing a big head early in his octagon career.
“Big head in what way?” Garry responded, when asked about Green’s comments.
“Because I have a confidence about my skill set. And when you ask me about confidence, I’ve had nine fights and I’ve won nine times.
“There’s a reason I’m on three numbered cards in a row. There’s a reason that the UFC are pushing me. It’s because they know how good I am. They can see it. They see when I when I stand up here and I talk, I have confidence. It’s in me.”
Garry’s unblemished record, coupled with his outgoing personality and confidence, has put a target on the young Irishman’s back almost from the moment he arrived in the UFC.
But “The Future” said he won’t concern himself with how his confidence is perceived. He is just staying focused on delivering the goods inside the octagon.
“It’s not my fault that people don’t have as much confidence as I do, and they think it’s cockiness or arrogance,” he said.
“I have an unapologetic self-belief, and I just want to show the world my skill set. And that’s it.”
As for Green’s suggestion that Garry has a big head, the Sanford MMA fighter replied with an observation of his own.
“So what (if) he thinks I have a big head?” he said.
“He’s got a f**king massive head. Have you seen the size of it? It’s like a basketball. So I’m just gonna put my f**king fist in his face and see who wins then.
“But look, no disrespect to him. He can think that. I like that. He says that, (but) let’s see what happens. Saturday night is this the only thing that matters to me.”