Chael Sonnen has now made a bold claim about Ian Garry‘s rising popularity ahead of UFC 330. While Garry has faced plenty of backlash for his recent comments about women and his relationship with his wife, Sonnen believes the Irishman has stumbled onto something that could make him one of the UFC’s biggest attractions.
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‘The American Gangster’ claimed that the Irishman’s ability to draw a response from fans is precisely what makes him valuable, even if that reaction is overwhelmingly negative.
“He’s a bad guy because he said something nice about women,” Chael Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I’d like to be there with you. I just can’t. We hate Ian because Ian stood by his wife.
“I’d like to be there with you, but I just can’t. And Ian’s ability to draw, even if it’s with boos, [is] his ability to draw.”
Ian Garry has undoubtedly embraced his spot as one of MMA’s most divisive figures. His interviews, press conferences, and social media presence regularly draw strong reactions, which the UFC analyst believes the Irishman should not try to change. ‘The American Gangster’ even quoted the late professional wrestling legend Roddy Piper to explain why Garry might be better off staying exactly as he is.
“There are things that Ian could do to make the crowd love him,” he said. “But Roddy Piper was right when he said, “You don’t need to change. They will. Give it time. They will change.”
It is also worth noting that just a few days ago, Sonnen compared ‘The Future’ to one of television’s toughest characters, Rip Wheeler from Yellowstone.
This comparison occurred following Ian Garry’s recent statements, where he discussed his wife’s influence over him and even suggested that men step aside and allow women to run the world.
But despite it all, Chael Sonnen believes Ian Garry’s appeal extends beyond simply being controversial. The UFC legend believes the Irishman is very unpredictable, which keeps people highly interested because every interview or press conference feels like something could happen.
“Ian Garry has struck something here. There’s something here,” he continued. “When there’s an Ian Garry interview, when there’s an Ian Garry press conference, something is happening.
“I can feel it the whole time I watch. Something is going to happen.”
And not just that, but according to ‘The American Gangster,’ Ian Garry could be a bigger draw than his opponent, Islam Makhachev, at UFC 330. In fact, he claims that his argument can be measured in real time during fight week.
“And I don’t know. I mean, in terms of Ian’s ability to draw, if we changed Ian’s opponent for next weekend, I think you’d have just as many people excited,” Chael Sonnen added. “You’d do just the same numbers. If you remove Ian and put Islam in with a different opponent, I don’t think that’s true. I don’t think Islam is the bigger draw in this fight. I don’t think that.
“And that will be quantifiable and provable by the cheer when they walk out, by the cheer at the press conference, and by the reaction of the audience during the face-off. That is a quantifiable number. And I’m just predicting that for you.”
However, it is worth noting that the Dagestani phenom is 28-1 in MMA, with a 16-fight winning streak, and he has already won the 170-pound title after dominating the lightweight division. All this has earned him a massive global following and gives Islam Makhachev plenty of star power. Ian Garry, meanwhile, is 17-1, and for him, it has primarily been his trash talk, media appearances, and his divisive heel persona that have shot up his fame.
So, it is a massive claim from Chael Sonnen considering Makhachev’s resume, but Garry’s ability to generate conversation has clearly caught the legend’s attention. Whether fight fans love him, hate him, or just want to see what he says next, there’s no denying that ‘The Future’ has made himself just too hard to ignore now.
