Ian Garry will look to pump the breaks on his astronomical rise to UFC stardom after his fight with Gabe Green as he prepares to become a dad for the first time.
The unbeaten Irish fighter's career has been moving at a breakneck pace since he won Cage Warriors welterweight gold last year. He signed to the UFC within 24 hours, and will have fought three times since November when he leaves the cage on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena.
And it's been equally as hectic outside of the octagon. He left Dublin last summer after leaving his long-time gym Team KF, and has moved to Florida to train at Sanford MMA. He married TV host Layla Anna-Lee earlier this year after a whirlwind romance, and the pair are expecting a son this October.
But for now, despite an exciting time looming for the man who calls himself 'The Future', he must focus on his upcoming task in Green, one of the toughest opponents he has faced to date. The American will be the first man Garry has fought with a UFC win, and comes highly touted across Californian gyms.
"It's International Fight Week, it's a big event," the Irishman explained during an exclusive chat with Mirror Fighting . "It's massive for the UFC and massive for me. I get to fight in the T-Mobile Arena, another pay-per-view, that's three in a row.
"It's special, it's a dream I've had since I was a kid, I've spoken this dream and I'm very excited to be here and be surrounded by people who have helped to get me to this point. Now I get to go into that octagon and have fun."
But he will force himself to take some time to focus on his family over the coming months once he has got his Las Vegas bow out of the way at UFC 276. He and Anna-Lee have launched a series of businesses outside of the cage as Garry looks to maximise on his exposure in MMA's biggest promotion.
And once things with the baby settle down, he believes that the pace will pick right back up again, given his interest in fast-tracking his career. Garry is a known fan of countryman Conor McGregor, and to put his rise in the sport into context, he was a year away from his amateur debut the last time his hero held UFC gold in 2016.
"How do you think I cope with it?" He asked when quizzed about his lightning quick ascendancy. "How do you think life's going? Who do you think pushes this f***ing ship at this pace? Who do you think wants it to be that fast? It's me.
"Welcome t my f***ing life! It's chaotic, it's crazy, it's enjoyable, it's a fun ride and I'm going to enjoy this for as long as I'm doing it and when I'm done with fighting I'll enjoy whatever it is I do afterwards.
"It's still going to be as chaotic and f***ing mad. I'm not going to stop because that's my personality, it's the way I am and it'll never change, if it weren't my family, fighting, golf, whatever, there'd be something else, I will always find something to give me this energy, it's just the way I am.
"I don't have to [slow down], but I want to slow myself down for my family because they deserve that. My wife deserves that, my child in her belly deserves that, I've to make sure they're okay and get them everything they need.
"I don't need to take time off, I'll still be training and I'm already thinking about everything I want to do when we are in that situation. How can I get what I need but also give everyone else what they need. It's a balance, it's a lifestyle, it's a family. Everything works in harmony and we're going to find whatever it is that works."
However, he insists that he will remain in fight shape, raring to go when the opportunity arises for a fight in one of a series of exotic locations. Having competed in the historic surroundings of New York City and Madison Square Garden before his new home of Florida and now the fight capital Las Vegas, Garry is keen to keep up his world travels.
"At any point I'll be ready to fight," he vowed. "I'm never not going to be ready to fight, let myself get fat and unfit, that's not what I do. I don't know when the next big pay-per-view is, or when Conor [McGregor] is back because I've not been looking at it.
"I know that I've got a baby due in October and that's what I'm focused on after this fight, just that. Once the baby's born and healthy and my wife is healthy and we're all okay then we can sit and assess the biggest card I can fight on.
"I need to know where I can make the biggest statement, the place where the most eyes will be on me. How about a UFC Dublin? When's the return of the Mac? When are all of these going to happen? I don't know, nobody seems to know at the moment but let's make one of them happen."
Garry is known for his brash and cocky demeanour on the microphone, but was known in his early career as a gentle soul. And he admits that preparing to become a dad has seen him tap into his emotions even more.
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"I found myself kind of tearing up a bit yesterday," Garry revealed. "I was explaining to someone what it means to be a dad and I just heard kind of a sniff in the background.
"I could see Layla was crying and I kind of got a bit glassy-eyed and a bit teary-eyed because obviously it's exciting. It's not just about me any more, it's about my family.
"People can say 'oh he's a UFC fighter, he's this, this and this,' and yeah, that's great but there's going to be a little boy whose life depends on me being there. He depends on me feeding him and helping him through life.
"That's different, and I'm excited for it and for the growth I'm going to have as a man, as a person, as a father. That's so exciting so onwards and upwards. We move forward in life and we take everything in our stride and go forward
Watch Ian Garry take on Gabriel Green at UFC ® 276: ADESANYA vs. CANNONIER on Saturday JULY 2, live on BT Sport 1 from 12am, with early prelims on UFC FIGHT PASS starting at 11pm.
