Ian Machado Garry was not about to let a feud between two promoters stop him from growing his brand.
The Irishman is fast approaching his first title shot in the UFC, having been selected as the first man to challenge welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Garry will face Makhachev at UFC 330, as the pair headline the promotion’s return to Philadelphia on August 15.
Ahead of that fight, the Irishman recently made an announcement, joining Tom Aspinall in signing with Eddie Hearn’s talent agency. But the two do not share the same agreement with the British promoter.
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Ian Machado Garry says signing with Eddie Hearn’s agency has ‘nothing to do with the UFC’
Garry has signed with Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency a few months after the UFC heavyweight champion became the first mixed martial artist to do so.
Hearn is currently preparing to negotiate Aspinall’s return to the UFC following his recovery from eye surgery, which presents an interesting scenario given Dana White’s feud with the English promoter.
But the UFC won’t be dealing with Hearn when it comes to Garry’s fights.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, ‘The Future’ explained how his agreement came together and what he hopes to get out of it.
‘It all came about a couple of months ago,” Garry said. “The interest came, they reached out to me and my team, and I loved the idea of working with them.
“I have a lot of respect for them and what they’ve done in the sporting industry. The fact they’ve opened up a talent agency, I saw so many avenues to potentially grow my brand in England, Ireland, and focus on Europe.
“I thought it was a no-brainer,” he continued. “When they reached out, I loved the idea of it.”
Garry later clarified that Hearn will not play a role in his UFC negotiations, which will remain exclusively in his and agent Lloyd Pearson’s hands.
“He (Pearson) is my only contact with the UFC. And if Hunter and the UFC ever have a problem, they call me. There is no in-between. I am a man, I don’t need anybody else to do my work for me.
“I hired Lloyd to make sure he runs all the Xs, all the Os.
“This signing (with Hearn) has nothing to do with the UFC. It has nothing to do with my job inside the Octagon. It has everything to do with outside the Octagon.
“I want Eddie and Matchroom Talent Agency to do as much as they physically possibly can to get the most amount of attention on my name.”
The separation between Garry’s work with Hearn and his negotiations with the UFC perhaps made it easier for the Irishman to disregard the British promoter’s feud with White.
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Garry acknowledged the rivalry and explained why he did not let it affect his discussions over a deal with Matchroom Talent Agency.
“There is beef at the moment between Dana White and Eddie Hearn,” the Dublin native noted.
“I don’t care for their beef. I don’t care for what their relationship is or what problems they have with each other.
“I am the No. 1-ranked fighter in the UFC’s welterweight division, who is fighting the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter for that strap,” he added.
“What I do in the UFC, it has absolutely nothing to do with what I do outside of the sport, and how me and Matchroom Talent Agency decide to grow my brand.”