Ian Machado Garry will crack the UFC’s top-ten at 170-pounds if he picks up his seventh consecutive win in December.
It was announced by the UFC that the Dubliner will take on veteran striker (and Kill Cliff FC training partner) Vicente Luque at the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view, UFC 296, in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on December 16.
Garry, who has been flawless in his UFC career to date, picked up his sixth win (and 13th overall) just last month when he scored a comprehensive, shut-out win against welterweight veteran Neil Magny — even winning by a score of 30-24 on one of they judge’s scorecards. It was a fight in which Machado Garry told the media that would break him into the division’s top ten, but that wasn’t reflected when the rankings were released days later showing him in 11th spot.
A win against Luque, currently one spot ahead of the Irishman in 10th position, would secure Machado Garry’s ascent into the elite of the division. The American fighter, who is of Brazilian descent, was last in action in August where he defeated former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos to snap a two-fight skid following defeats to Geoff Neal and Belal Muhammad — the latter of which was a rematch of a fight won by Luque back in November 2016 in New York City.
Luque’s record also shows wins against Tyron Woodley, Michael Chiesa, Mike Perry and Randy Brown, among others.
UFC 296 will be headlined by world title fight between 170-pound champion Leon Edwards and Colby Covington, while flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja rematches Brandon Royval in the co-main.
