Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has backed Ian Garry to emulate Paddy Pimblett and Conor McGregor by making an instant impression on his UFC debut.
The Irishman was picked up by UFC following a resounding victory over Jack Grant to clinch the Cage Warriors welterweight title back in July.
Following that dominant win, Garry is now set to make his UFC debut on Saturday evening in New York as the 7-0 fighter faces off against Jordan Williams.
That environment will bring significant pressure to the young fighter but he's been tipped to follow in the footsteps of 'Paddy the Baddy'.
The Liverpool fighter shone on his own UFC debut back in September against Luigi Vendramini, securing a brutal knockout.
Bisping believes that Garry can achieve similar, tipping Garry to establish himself as a breakout star this weekend.
“He has got a massive opportunity on Saturday night; he’s making his UFC debut, he is undefeated, he’s 23 years old and he is fighting at Madison Square Garden," he told TalkSport.
“Paddy Pimblett did great, but he debuted at the Apex and he still killed it. Making your debut at Madison Square Garden, New York City, the media capital of the world, it doesn’t get any bigger than this.
“He’s a former Cage Warriors champion, history tells us those guys do very, very well. So if he can go out there and get a great performance and then rock it on the microphone, who knows, maybe on Monday morning we have another new star on our hands.
“It’s certainly a high pressure situation, but I’m sure he is going to handle it just fine.”
