UFC rising welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry reacted to the impressive victory of his former opponent, Daniel Rodriguez, over Santiago Ponzinibbio this past Saturday.
Ian Machado Garry Reacts to Daniel Rodriguez’s Victory Over Santiago Ponzinibbio
Rodriguez squared off against Ponzinibbio in a Welterweight bout at UFC Des Moines on May 3. Rodriguez delivered an impressive performance, landing sharp combination punches that dropped Ponzinibbio, prompting the referee to step in and stop the fight, resulting in a third-round TKO victory. The win marked Rodriguez’s second consecutive victory.
UFC shared a clip of the finish on Instagram, and Garry, who previously scored a first-round TKO win over “D-Rod” reacted in the comment section with fire emojis, showing respect for his former opponent’s performance.
Meanwhile, Garry continued his rise in the welterweight division with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Carlos Prates on April 26, 2025, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Garry stepped in on less than a month’s notice and handed Prates his first UFC loss.
Following the win, “The Future” revealed that he has been named the official backup fighter for the upcoming welterweight title fight between reigning champion Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, scheduled for UFC 315 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Garry Lays Out Ambitious 3-Fight Plan
Ian Machado Garry has taken back-to-back fights on short notice. Prior to facing Carlos Prates, he stepped in at UFC 310 to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov, where he delivered an excellent performance but came up short, losing via unanimous decision, marking the first defeat of his professional career. Despite the loss, Garry earned praise for his impressive performance against a top contender like Rakhmonov.
Following his dominant win over Prates, Garry was interviewed by Ariel Helwani, where he shared his goals moving forward. He expressed interest in facing the winner of the UFC 315 welterweight title bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, and also said he’d welcome reigning Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev if he decides to move up a weight class.
“I think it’s the winner of [Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena]. Obviously, in my mind, I believe I’ll win the fight, therefore Islam [Makhachev], the fact that he wants to move to 170 so if he wants to come up, I’d more than welcome that.”
Ian Machado Garry’s 3 fight plan.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/w35KGUvYTO
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 28, 2025
Garry then plans to avenge himself against the undefeated Rakhmonov.
“Then I want the rematch with Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. That’s the way I look at it. If that’s my ideal way, that’s the three fights that I want… I like it. It sounds good, right?… I think there’s an absolute possibility that that is it because I don’t think there’s anyone bigger to fight for the title in the division right now.”
More: Ian Machado Garry’s 3-Fight Plan Called ‘Ilia Topuria-esque’ and ‘Conor McGregor-ish’ by UFC Hall of Famer
The UFC Welterweight division is entering one of its most exciting eras, with several top contenders eying a shot at UFC gold. The frontrunners include Rakhmonov, Sean Brady, and Garry.