One of the UFC’s top-ranked welterweight contenders has apparently already started camp for what will be his first fight of 2026.
Last year was a tumultuous time for the UFC’s welterweight title, as the belt changed hands on three different occasions and now resided with former UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev, who unseated Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision in his welterweight debut at UFC 322.
Several of the division’s top contenders currently have strong cases for what would be their first cracks at UFC gold, including #2-ranked welterweight fighter Ian Machado Garry.
Ian Machado Garry Reveals He’s Started Camp For Next UFC Fight
After going 2-0 in 2025, Machado Garry recently took to Instagram to let fans know that he’s officially started training camp for his next fight.
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A former Cage Warriors champion, Machado Garry joined the UFC in 2021 and collected eight wins over the next few years to bring his professional record to a perfect 15-0. “The Future” stepped up for a short-notice opportunity to meet the also-unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, where he took Rakhmonov to the scorecards for the first time but suffered a unanimous decision loss after five hard-fought rounds.
Ian Machado Garry (left) and Carlos Prates (right) watch the fight between Benoit Saint-Denis (red gloves) and Mauricio Ruffy (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
The Irishman rebounded by handing Carlos Prates his first UFC loss in a UFC Fight Night main event last April, and in his most recent outing Machado Garry took another decision over former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad.
Carlos Prates Also Teases UFC Fight News
Another win would almost certainly secure Machado Garry a title shot, and interestingly enough his former opponent Prates also teased his own fight news after his fellow welterweight contender said he’d started camp.
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There’s no guarantee that the UFC is putting together a rematch between Machado Garry and Prates so soon after their first meeting, but the matchup would make a lot of sense given that the latter fighter currently sits at #5 in the welterweight rankings. After falling to the Irishman last April, “The Nightmare” rebounded with back-to-back knockouts of Geoff Neal and former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards.
Carlos Prates (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Leon Edwards (red gloves) in the welterweight bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Another likely option for either Machado Garry or Prates is #3-ranked Michael Morales, who boasts a 19-0 record and is coming off a first-round finish of another top welterweight contender in Sean Brady at UFC 322.
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