Ian Machado Garry, during his recent appearance on the High Performance Podcast, opened up about his views on gender roles, but his take has already drawn disagreement from some within the UFC. While discussing his belief that the world would be better if women were in charge, the welterweight title contender received a very different response from UFC strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern.

During the UFC 330 media day, Dern admitted that she supports the idea of women being independent, but her upbringing has shaped her belief that men should ultimately take the lead in relationships.

“I mean, that’s so hard. I come from a little bit more traditional upbringing,” Dern said. “Obviously, the women in my family are super strong and independent, and they taught me how to be a strong woman. But I don’t know. I like the guy protecting and leading and doing that stuff, and I like to just relax. And if I need to go to war with him, I will. But yeah, I mean, I’m a mommy and stuff like that.

“So I think it’s really good to be a strong woman, and we don’t depend on guys. We can be independent, but I like the man taking the lead.”

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In Dern’s case, her upbringing offers some insight into why she holds a very different point of view than the Irishman. From a very early age, the Brazilian-American fighter began training under her father, Wellington ‘Megaton’ Dias, one of the most renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. Dern spent almost her entire childhood training alongside her father and credits him with helping shape her career. For that reason, it’s understandable that the UFC strawweight champion would hold more traditional views about men taking the lead as well as playing the role of a protector.

But alongside her father, Dern’s stepmother, Luciana Dias Tavares, also played a vital role in her jiu-jitsu training. From her, Dern developed the belief that women should be independent in their choices. Even so, the 33-year-old champion isn’t the only one to hold traditional values.

There’s a study that indicates many women who practice martial arts to some degree prefer having relationships with men who can protect them.  

According to a study conducted by author Justen Hamilton, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of California, Riverside, heterosexual women MMA fighters mostly prefer men with traditional values. The study, published in the Sociology of Sport Journal, shows that Hamilton interviewed 40 WMMA athletes who revealed that they loved being strong and independent. But almost all of them preferred an “ideal man” who could provide them and their families with safety, a notion that connects to traditionally held beliefs.

Though Mackenzie Dern and Ian Garry represent polar opposite views when it comes to gender roles, the important thing is that they are living their lives based on their own beliefs and what they think works best for them. Still, Dern remained very civil in her disagreement with the Irishman. However, that’s not the case with another fighter from Garry’s division.

Uros Medic slams Ian Garry over ‘women should rule the world’ notion

Before Uros Medic knocked out Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Belgrade earlier this month, he had already reacted to Garry’s comments. The Serbian made it clear that he wouldn’t want to live in a world led by women, while also saying that Garry shouldn’t impose his beliefs on anyone else.

“Obviously he’s been very vocal lately about women running the world, and I just had a message for him,” Medic told MMA Fighting. “Just because his woman is running his world, it doesn’t mean that women should run all the world, because men built the world. They’ve gave the rights to women, and they maintain the safety and freedom of everybody. So if he wants to have his world ran by women, I have no problem with that. Just don’t try to impose none of that bulls—t on me.”

To be fair, it didn’t seem like Ian Garry was actively trying to impose his beliefs on anyone. It sounded more like the Irishman was simply sharing his conviction about what he thinks would be best for the world. But with Medic strongly opposing Garry’s statement, he may have planted the seeds for a future clash. Medic is fresh off a stellar win against Rodriguez in 30 seconds at the UFC Belgrade headliner, and he could get the chance to face Garry if the Irishman loses to Makhachev at UFC 330 this weekend.

With the welterweight title fight approaching, it remains to be seen whether Garry’s comments about gender roles will continue to generate controversy—or whether the discussion will quickly fade once the Irishman steps into the Octagon.