IAN MACHADO GARRY is Conor McGregor’s biggest fan – but he has now signed with his rival Jake Paul.
Garry is currently a 12-0 unbeaten UFC welterweight contender, who was inspired into the cage by McGregor’s meteoric rise.
Conor McGregor with a young Ian Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry has signed with Jake Paul
But he has now signed with YouTuber-turned boxer Paul’s media company Betr.
It comes after years of the polarising prankster and prizefighter’s callouts and verbal jabs of McGregor.
But Garry, 25, told MMAFighting: “I am Conor’s biggest fan.
“I am literally the first fighter of a generation to make it to the UFC because of Conor’s rise.
“What they wanna do and what they have and their personal beef has nothing to do with it.
“If you have two friends that don’t get on, if you have two people that know they don’t get on, you can still be friends with both.
“You can still do business with both, you can still talk to both, you can still go to both of their houses and have dinner.
“What they have has nothing to do with me. That’s called being an adult.”
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Paul, 26, first called out McGregor, 35, in 2020 and hurled insults at the Irishman’s long-time partner Dee Devlin.
And he has continued try and goad the ex-UFC champion back into the ring, following McGregor’s debut 2017 loss to Floyd Mayweather.
Paul meanwhile bounced back from defeat to Tommy Fury, 24, by beating McGregor’s former rival Nate Diaz, 38.
ReutersJake Paul knocked down Nate Diaz in victory[/caption]