Chael Sonnen dismisses notion of Ian Machado Garry almost getting finished by Carlos Prates, lauds Irishman for having "weaponized pace"

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen recently claimed Ian Machado Garry's victory at UFC Kansas City was a definitive one. He believed that 'The Future' was not in danger despite Carlos Prates having his moments in the later rounds.

Garry's fight against 'The Nightmare' was going according to the Irishman's plan up until the latter part of Round 4. Although Garry managed to perfectly execute his game plan, with seemingly no pushback for the first three rounds, Prates seemed to find his rhythm as he had his opponent hurt with vicious ground-and-pound shots in Round 5.

Ultimately, 'The Future' won the fight via unanimous decision. The São Paulo native had flashes of brilliance, but Sonnen believes that the Irishman was not close to losing. In the latest installment of ESPN's Good Guy / Bad Guy, the Oregon native had this to say:

"That moment in the fifth round is greatly embellished. He wasn't even close to finishing him in the fifth round. There was a spot where he could have swarmed him and attempted to finish, and then we could all guess what would happen from there. But, it's not like Ian was doing all that bad. Ian had weaponized pace."

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Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (23:05):

Ian Machado Garry predicts Belal Muhammad to beat Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315

Belal Muhammad is scheduled to face Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 10. This bout marks 'Remember the Name's' first title defense after dethroning Leon Edwards last July. 'The Future' holds a vested interest in this fight as he was recently named as a backup fighter for the headliner.

In the post-fight press conference of UFC Kansas City, the 27-year-old Irishman was asked about his prediction for the fight. Outlining the Chicago native's resume, Garry believes Muhammad will emerge victorious:

"Belal [will win]. Nothing to do with style but just to do with what he's done in the division. He is the champion, he's beaten former champions, he's on a however many fight win-streak. I feel like Jack has not done the same workload. And, I don't want any question marks on my career. I've told you this, so I want to beat the best guys in the world and Jack is up there in that level, but I just think Belal has done more to warrant that status."

Check out Ian Machado Garry's comments below:

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About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan