Following a significant recent defeat, Ian Machado Garry has put forward the idea that the former UFC welterweight champion ought to consider retirement.
Ian Machado Garry recently secured a key win against rising welterweight contender Carlos Prates, re-establishing his position for a title shot.
The Irish fighter later served as a backup for the UFC 315 main event between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Della Maddalena subsequently defeated Muhammad to claim the welterweight title.
After the fight, Machado Garry started a disagreement with Della Maddalena following comments the Australian made about him and his son leading up to their bout.
Ian Machado Garry Advocates for Leon Edwards` Retirement Post-Defeat
At one point, a fight between `The Future` and Leon Edwards seemed certain after a brief conflict arose when Edwards` team removed Machado Garry from their gym.
The former UFC welterweight champion recently suffered a decisive loss at UFC London against Sean Brady, being thoroughly outmatched for four rounds before submitting to a guillotine choke.
Since his defeat in March, `Rocky` has been quiet on social media, leading fans to question his next steps.
However, Machado Garry believes retirement is Edwards` best course of action, stating he would hang up his gloves if he were in the Brit`s position right now.
“If I was Leon I would be retiring. He clearly doesn’t have the love for it anymore, clearly doesn’t have the talent for it against the best young youth in the division and yeah, just kick it in, say you were world champion and go off into the streets of Birmingham and tell the people of the story of what was, not what is,” Machado Garry told talkSPORT.
Islam Makhachev Confirmed as Next Welterweight Title Challenger
Despite his impressive recent performance, the 27-year-old will unfortunately have to wait for the outcome of the Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev fight, as the former lightweight champion has been confirmed as the division`s next title challenger.
Regarding a potential matchup against the Russian, Machado Garry admitted he is not enthusiastic about promoting an ‘Ireland vs. Dagestan’ narrative, due to its similarity to Conor McGregor‘s historically intense rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The Irishman hopes Makhachev defeats Della Maddalena to become champion, setting up a potential clash where he could face the current pound-for-pound king in his first title defense.
Benedict Kingsley 
Rupert Hartwell