Ian Garry Advised To Be 'Very, Very Cautious' At UFC 296 Press Conference: 'I Don't Know How Much He Speaks For Himself'

Former UFC Welterweight Championship contender Dan Hardy recently weighed in on Ian Machado Garry's situation heading into UFC 296. 

The undefeated Dubliner's marriage to TV presenter Layla Anna-Lee has become the topic of both scrutiny and mockery in recent weeks. From fighters to pundits to fans on social media, Garry has been receiving a large helping of trolling for his relationship and personal life of late. 

The negative attention has prompted the typically brash young fighter to mute comments on his social media accounts. 

At UFC 296. he will collide with Vicente Luque on the main card. Colby Covington, one of the promotion's loudest and harshest trash talkers, is set to headline the event with Leon Edwards. Also on the main card is Paddy Pimblett, a similarly outspoken mic user. Their presence, along with Garry's real-life issues with 'Rocky' and his gym, have led many to expect a grim press conference for the Irishman ahead of the event. 

"He Needs To Be Very, Very Cautious" - Dan Hardy On Ian Garry

During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Hardy warned Garry to be careful at the conference. While 'Chaos' will almost certainly cause him trouble, fighters such as Edwards likely won't unless he provokes them - something Hardy reminded Garry of.

"I think he needs to be very, very cautious about how he approaches this press conference," Hardy said. "He has the potential to turn everybody on the stage against him, you know, of course you've got Colby there who's going to get stuck in straight away. I don't think Leon will, he's- for me, Leon's too classy for that, if someone comes and starts throwing dirt [in] his direction, then Leon of course will stand his ground."

'The Outlaw' then theorized that much of Garry's antics may not be entirely be his ideas. Hardy pointed to the recent legal threats sent to Sean Strickland over his comments on Garry and his wife as a key example of words allegedly from the Irishman that don't match up with how he typically speaks and presents himself. 

Hardy suggested that Garry just being himself at the press conference - a little more open and honest with both his fellow fighters and audiences would be a preferable approach. 

"Ian Garry needs to choose his battles," Hardy explained. "This is again where, you know, the political spin that's probably kind of being weaved into his mind before he steps onto the stage is going to determine whether he's got control of the situation or not...

"You read the messages that were sent to Sean Strickland and I don't know about you guys but I didn't read them in Ian Garry's voice. I don't know how much he speaks for himself at the moment, even when he's sitting on the stage with the mic in his own hand, I still feel like a lot of the words are being put in his head.

"So, I hope- what I would like to see is him sit on the stage and be himself and speak from the heart and tell people where he's at and what's actually going on, but I don't know if we'll get that just yet."