Ian Garry rejects potential fight with ‘mentally unwell’ Sean Strickland: “Let’s leave him be”

By Josh Evanoff - June 27, 2024

UFC welterweight contender Ian Garry feels it’s best to leave Sean Strickland alone.

Ian Garry Sean Strickland

‘The Future’ is set to return on the UFC 303 main card later this week. On Saturday night, Ian Garry is set for arguably the biggest test of his MMA career against Michael ‘Venom’ Page. The British fighter debuted in the promotion earlier this year, scoring a lopsided decision win over Kevin Holland. However, Garry is confident that he can end the former Bellator star’s hype train.

In the event that the Irishman earns a win on Saturday, the sky is the limit for him. Depending on how things shake out at 170 pounds, it’s not inconceivable that Ian Garry could fight for a title by the end of 2024. However, fans know one thing, it’s that he has no interest in fighting Sean Strickland right now.

‘Tarzan’ is fresh off his return at UFC 302 earlier this month, scoring a decision victory over Paulo Costa. While they’re not in the same weight class, Sean Strickland has taken aim at Ian Garry on several occasions. The former UFC middleweight champion has often attacked the Irishman on social media, as well as his wife.

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Ian Garry rejects potential fight against ‘mentally unwell’ Sean Strickland

For his part, Ian Garry has talked a fair bit of trash back. However, the Irishman doesn’t seem to really want a fight with Sean Strickland, right now anyway. Speaking in a recent interview with AgFight, ‘The Future’ was asked about his rivalry with the middleweight. There, he showed little interest in a future fight against him.

“There’s nothing that needs to be discussed when it comes to Sean Strickland.” Ian Garry stated in the interview. “We need to leave him be, just let him go. I think he’s mentally unwell and having a breakdown publicly. We need to just leave him be.”

For what it’s worth, a fight between Sean Strickland and Ian Garry makes very little sense at this stage. ‘Tarzan’ is currently sitting out awaiting a title shot after his victory over Paulo Costa earlier this month.

What do you make of these comments from the UFC welterweight contender? Do you want to see Sean Strickland vs. Ian Garry?