A late switch-up means UFC welterweight contenders Ian Garry and Carlos Prates will headline in Missouri later this month.
The promotion’s trip to Kansas City to stage a UFC Fight Night inside T-Mobile Center on April 26 was originally set to feature a main event between hard-hitting light heavyweights Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree.
But following speculation of an injury to the former champion, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Tuesday that a new matchup will now top the lineup.
The stakes will be similarly high, however, with both Garry and Prates looking to ascend into the championship conversation at each other’s expense.
An excited Garry expressed as much while giving his first public reaction to the news on social media. “The Future” encouraged his supporters to attend the event and vowed to put on a show.
“It’s official…me versus Carlos Prates, April 26. I’m excited,” Ian Garry said. “The UFC go, ‘Ah, we need someone. Who do we need? Who do we call?’ You call me. Why? ‘Cause I’m a real fighter who wants to fight the best in the world.
“I’m going to show everybody how good I am,” Garry continued. “Carlos Prates is awesome, but this is my world. I love to fight! There’s nothing more I love in this world than fighting. … Ireland, get your tickets, get your flights. Brazil, get your tickets, get your flights.”
The Irishman most recently fell short in another late-notice contest opposite Shavkat Rakhmonov last December. The result marked his first defeat in the UFC and professional MMA as a whole.
Prates, meanwhile, has been on a charge since breaking through on MMA’s biggest stage. The Brazilian Fighting Nerds standout has won four straight, most recently knocking out Neil Magny.
