The UFC fighter trying to give up smoking 10 a day
When Ian Machado Garry was asked about Carlos Prates' lifestyle choices before the pair's welterweight bout on Saturday, he preferred to focus on the fight.Brazil's Prates, 31, has said he is "trying to smoke less to get fitter and healthier", admitting he has been smoking up to 10 cigarettes a day in the build-up to facing the Irishman at UFC Fight Night in Kansas City, Missouri.It is unusual for high-level athletes to smoke, given the health risks of cigarettes which can include cardiovascular disease, lung disease and lung cancer."The dude smokes cigarettes, meanwhile I'm in Brazil – his whole country want me to win. That's his life choices and nothing for me to get involved in," said Machado Garry."Saturday he's going to step into the octagon with someone who's a complete professional. I'm going to manhandle him and there's nothing he can do to stop me."
Prates, who has won his first four fights in the UFC, all by knockout, has said he would like to quit smoking entirely in the future, but has found it "hard".After his win over Neil Magny in November, Prates asked if he could smoke a cigarette in his post-fight news conference but said his request was denied as smoking was forbidden in the area.When asked by the media if he would share a cigarette with Prates after their contest on Saturday, Machado Garry, 27, suggested a different idea."I don't smoke so I won't. But I can sit down and talk about how I knocked him out and I can teach him how to get a little better," he said.The headlining fight was made between Machado Garry and Prates after Jamahal Hill withdrew injured from his bout with Khalil Rountree at the beginning of the month.It is the second fight in a row that Machado Garry has stepped in on short notice after replacing Belal Muhammad in December before a narrow defeat by Shavkat Rakhmonov."It speaks to the character and the person I am. I'm Dublin born and bred, they call us the fighting Irish for a reason," said Machado Garry. "When you call me and say "hey Ian, do you want to fight?" There's only one answer."
Machado Garry - the stats
Machado Garry's loss to Rakhmonov was the first of his 16-fight career and ended his impressive eight-fight win streak in the UFC.The Irishman is currently ranked seventh in the UFC welterweight rankings, with Prates six places below him in 13th.Of Machado Garry's eight wins since his UFC debut in 2021, three have come by knockout, meaning he has a 37.5% finish rate compared to Prates' 100%.The Irishman has said he prefers longer fights, however, where he can outclass and "dominate" his opponents over five rounds.
Despite lacking the knockout power of Prates, Machado Garry still has some of the best striking statistics in the UFC's welterweight division.He is sixth on the list for significant strike accuracy at 55%, with title challenger Della Maddalena fifth with 55.2% and former champion Leon Edwards eighth with 54.2% in comparison.Machado Garry is also eighth on the list for striking differential at 1.9.The Irishman says a win over Prates should put him next in line for a title shot, with champion Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena fighting for the belt at UFC 315 on 11 May.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
United Rugby Championship Final - Build-up to Leinster v Bulls
Update: Date: 16:56 BST Title: Post Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) Simon ZeboFormer Munster and Ireland winger on Premier Sports The weather conditions turn it into a territorial battle and a set-piece battle where I fancy the Bulls. Update: Date: 16:55 BST Title: Post Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) Mark StrangeBBC Sport NI at Croke Park Leo the Lion has just led a thunder clap around Croke Park and the atmosphere is crackling! The weather certainly hasn't dampened anyone's spirits. Update: Date: 16:54 BST Title: 'Everyone loves to hate Leinster' Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) Joe McCarthy says Leinster will be using perceived ill will as fuel in their quest for silverware today. Leo Cullen's side beat last year's champions Glasgow Warriors 37-19 at Aviva Stadium last week to book their place at Croke Park this evening. The Irish province have had a point to prove after being stunned at home by Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals as they aim to avoid a fourth consecutive season without a trophy. "We know everyone loves to hate Leinster. That definitely drives us on," lock McCarthy told RTE after the Glasgow game. "We've a great fanbase. We don't really care about the outside noise, what you guys [the media] or other people say." Read more. Update: Date: 16:52 BST Title: Post Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) They must build them differently in Potchefstroom. RG Snyman and Marcell Coetzee never overlapped at the Bulls but they hail from the same hometown in the north of South Africa. Coetzee is well known to Irish rugby fans as well, of course, after spending five seasons with Ulster and starts at number eight for the visitors. Update: Date: 16:49 BST Title: Familiar faces Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) Two-time World Cup winner RG Snyman won the only club medal of his career when lifting this trophy with Munster two years ago, his association with the Bulls goes all the way back to his teenage years. The 30-year-old lock, who starts on the bench this evening, represented the Bulls all the way up to Super Rugby level. Update: Date: 16:48 BST Title: Post Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) Mark StrangeBBC Sport NI at Croke Park With just over fifteen minutes until kick off, the heavens have opened here at Croke Park again. It never stopped on the way down today but had cleared up briefly. However, the grey skies have never gone away and the precipitation is going to play a big part in today's proceedings. Update: Date: 16:47 BST Title: Final times in blue Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) All Black Jordie Barrett's time with Leinster has been short and he'll be out to ensure the ending is sweet this evening. The centre has frequently been brilliant for Leo Cullen's side but he'll certainly want some silverware to show for his efforts in the northern hemisphere. Leinster will, of course, miss him next season, although his replacement isn't too bad either given his his All Black team-mate Rieko Ioane will be the next star set for a short stay in Dublin. Fly-half Ross Byrne, who is on the bench, will also have his final game for Leinster this afternoon, although Cian Healy, their most-capped ever player, is not in the 23. Update: Date: 16:46 BST Title: 'It's like playing a fully international side' Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) Bulls head coach Jake White speaking on Premier Sports: "We can't be playing Ireland. "I hear Luke McGrath is in now, he's got 231 games for Leinster, 19 Test matches. That's not a bad replacement to have when you lose your scrum-half. "Add Slimani, Barrett and RG, it's like playing a fully international side. "It goes without saying that they must be favourites to beat a provincial side today." Update: Date: 16:38 BST Title: A reminder of those teams Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ringrose, Barrett, Lowe; Prendergast, McGrath; Porter, Sheehan, Clarkson, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, Van der Flier, Conan (captain) Replacements: Kelleher, Boyle, Slimani, Snyman, Deegan, Gunne, R Byrne, Osborne. Bulls: Le Roux; Moodie, Kriel, Vorster, De Klerk; Goosen, Papier; Wessels, Grobbelaar, Louw, Wiese, Van Heerden, Van Staden, Nortje (captain), Coetzee. Replacements: Van der Merwe, Tshakweni, Smith, Kiersten, Carr, Burger, Johannes, Williams. Update: Date: 16:34 BST Title: Big blow for Leinster Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) There's huge news out of the Leinster camp this morning with Jamison Gibson-Park ruled out of this Croke Park contest. The scrum-half was named to start when the teams were announced on Friday but Luke McGrath will now wear the number nine jersey and Fintan Gunne on the bench. Gibson-Park joins fellow British and Irish Lions Tadhg Furlong and Hugo Keenan on the sidelines just six days before Andy Farrell's side begin their tour by playing Argentina across the city in the Aviva Stadium. Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose are back in the starting line-up, though. We'll bring you those confirmed teams in just a moment. Update: Date: 16:30 BST Title: Here we go! Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST) The United Rugby Championship all comes down to today with Leinster taking on Bulls in the final. Leo Cullen's side have been the standard-setters all season, topping the table with only two defeats from their 18 regular-season games and then seeing off Scarlets and Glasgow in the play-offs. Still, though, there's a sense that they've been off their game since their Investec Champions Cup defeat since by Northampton Saints last month. The Bulls have proven to be tough opposition in the past too - can the Irish province seal a ninth league title this evening? Stay with us to find out!
Daily Record
41 minutes ago
- Daily Record
UFC ace Paul Craig to embark on gruelling Help for Heroes charity bike ride
Paul Craig will take part in Help for Heroes Battlefield Bike Ride just days after a major fight UFC star Paul Craig is embarking on a 250-mile bike ride just days after taking on Rodolfo Bellato at UFC Atlanta. The Airdrie 37-year-old lands on Sunday from the US and heads straight to Buckingham Palace on Monday, to take part in the Help for Heroes Battlefield Bike Ride. The route, from the palace in London to Rheine in Germany from June 16 to 21 is the path that World War II Allies took over five days, and marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Craig originally had a month between his fight and the challenge, but the bout against Bellato in May was postponed 30 minute before when his Brazilian opponent had 'facial herpes'. Instead, the two go head-to-head in the US tonight. The popular fighter said: 'We're straight into a charity bike ride. I was meant to have that on May 17, so that would give me enough time. 'Because the fight was moved, I have to do the fight and then the five-day bike ride. 'It's from Buckingham Palace to Germany, and it's the route that the soldiers from World War II would have taken. 'It was a great idea when I signed up for it and there was a month's buffer between the fight and this, but the last thing I want to do is pull out from this. 'I think it's a great opportunity, not only for me but to help a charity.' Craig was moments away from taking part in UFC Vegas last month. He said: 'We were in our fight kit, in our gloves. Our hands were wrapped up, the commission had already taped off our hands, signed off our gloves, all that sort of stuff. 'Then the head of the UFC comes in and there are only a few things that can see the UFC brass in your locker room – you've messed up, or somebody else has messed up, and it was the latter, so the fight was pulled. 'At that moment you're already switched on to go to war, and then it's about switching back off, so there were all these emotions in my head. 'We had worked so hard for 10 weeks to be ready for a fight, and not to get the outcome is horrible. 'But that's part of this sport, part of being an athlete.'
Daily Record
41 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Darts star slams heat on World Cup stage in Frankfurt as he fires drop warning over sweltering oche
Irish ace William O'Connor reckons it's a furnace for players and admitted 'the quicker we get off that stage, the better'. Heated William O'Connor has fried the roasting conditions in Frankfurt and insists someone is going to drop over if it doesn't cool down. The Irish star and partner Keane Barry surged into the last eight at the Darts World Cup with a thumping win over Switzerland. However, although delighted to get the success and progress into the quarter-finals, O'Connor was getting hot under the collar at the temperatures inside the German arena. He said: 'It's so hot up on that stage, it's hard to play our best darts. It's really, really hard. It's terrible. "They are going to have to change the venue or maybe put on a bit of air conditioning or something, but someone's going to drop up on that stage. "I'm not exactly the biggest man in the world, but it's hot up on that stage and it's not good. "The quicker we get off that stage, the better. That's it.' Barry was the stronger of the duo in the win over Swiss and he agreed with O'Connor as he said: 'On stage, it's seriously hot. Darts slipped out of my hand, I thought the dart was just so sticky. "It's the same for everyone too. You can't be really complaining about it. It's the same for both players. It's another factor to try and get around.' O'Connor believes there are more gears to go in his team on Sunday as he said: 'We've got a lot more levels, and how many we need will be down to the day. "We needed extra levels in that game and Keane showed some extra levels, but I didn't. "You need a little bit of luck and you need to perform as well. You don't know until it happens.' Barry is thrilled to still have the chance to win the trophy having gone the furthest he has done so far and said: 'It's always an honour to put on your country shirt. "I wouldn't say we played our best day. We did enough, you just have to play what's in front of you. "We'll see what happens tomorrow. We're up there and we'll try our best. That's all you can do, really. We're just going to have to do it.' Barry has been using new equipment recently as he added: 'I wanted to try something different. I was thinking about it for a little while, trying to discover it in practice. "I didn't really have enough time to get it right for a pro tour start, just didn't feel it was the right time to change. "So I went back to what I'm used to and I just got new barrels made, a bit more grippy on the front and that. "Not much changes, a bit of new grip on the front. I'd say they're working alright, but a lot of improvement to come.'
