Not everyone was impressed by Ian Garry's performance at UFC 303, but given what he sees in Michael "Venom" Page's style, a fellow Irish fighter seemingly was.
Garry cemented his spot in the welterweight top 10 late last month at the International Fight Week pay-per-view in Las Vegas, opening the main card opposite "MVP."
The Irishman was vocal in the lead-up about his lack of interest when it came to sharing the cage with the lower-ranked Englishman, insisting he only accepted the matchup to get on the undercard of what was originally planned to be Conor McGregor's comeback.
"The Notorious" ultimately pulled out and didn't make the walk on June 29. Garry did, however, and had his hand raised in a close decision against Page, who was making just his second UFC appearance following a successful debut in March.
Having gone to the scorecards in his fights against Neil Magny and Geoff Neal, the Dubliner's run of decisions and the competitive nature of his clash with "Venom" have left some critical of "The Future" and dismissing his chances of competing against the elite of the division.
One of Garry's fellow countrymen, however, has suggested that such a narrative does a disservice to the challenge "MVP" presents inside the cage...
Loughran Says Criticism Of Garry's UFC 303 Performance Is Unfair
During a recent interview with InsideFighting, UFC bantamweight prospect Caolan Loughran gave his take on a number of notable prospects, stars, and champions currently competing on MMA's biggest stage.
When it came to Garry, the former Cage Warriors champion admitted that he hadn't been a fan of his compatriot's approach to fight buildups in the past.
But after noting an improvement when it came to his remarks ahead of UFC 303, Loughran pushed back on negative takes regarding Garry's victory over Page on fight night.
I haven't met Ian since he was an amateur. I haven't seen him since the regional scene. I haven't seen him in years," Loughran said. "I was actually liking the way he was talking (ahead of UFC 303). And he's winning fights in the UFC.
He's getting a lot of stick for his performance against 'MVP.' F*ck fighting 'MVP.' He's a nightmare!" Loughran continued. "Until you have him in front of you, you haven't sparred or trained with someone like him. Now, when you put him on his back, he's crap. But it's just getting him on his back is a nightmare.
Having maintained his perfect UFC and professional record at the expense of "MVP" at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, Garry is now setting his sights on those above him in the welterweight pecking order.
In addition to offering to serve as backup fighter for this month's UFC 304 main event between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad, the Dubliner has set his sights on Shavkat Rakhmonov as a potential next opponent.