Cage Warriors has a long history of elevating fighters to the ranks of the UFC, and on Friday the U.K.-based promotion added another to the ranks of the world’s biggest MMA promotion.
Ian Garry is the most recent fighter to receive the UFC call. The Cage Warriors welterweight champion and proud Irish-born fighter announced his signing after his name appeared on the promotion’s website. No debut date or opponent was announced.
Nicknamed “The Future,” Garry (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is still just 23 years old. Garry has competed only under the Cage Warriors banner as a professional, racking up five finishes in seven fights.
At Cage Warriors 125 in June, Garry won the promotion’s welterweight tournament when he defeated 24-fight veteran Jack Grant by unanimous decision. The win came on the heels of a violent head kick knockout against UFC alum Rostem Akman in a title eliminator.
Garry has long thought he’s destined for the UFC, as he told MMA Junkie before his title earlier this year.
“I’m pretty confident with my current skills I could walk into the UFC today and beat 80 percent of the UFC welterweight roster,” Garry said. “I’m hungry. I want to go in and prove how good I am. And I’m not stupid. I fight. I fight smart. I don’t fight stupid. … Even if you put me in there with Kamaru Usman right now. Do I think I’d win the fight? Probably not. Am I going to make it hard for him? Yeah.”
Check out Garry’s announcement below:
It Was Always Inevitable @ufc #23andintheUFC pic.twitter.com/CnKaSYK4pj
— “The Future” Ian Garry (@iangarryMMA) July 16, 2021
