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Ian Machado Garry confronts UFC rival just moments after Islam Makhachev loss

Machado Garry nearly found himself involved in another clash just moments after going 25 minutes with welterweight champion Islam Makhachev

[Ian Machado Garry confronted UFC rival Michael Morales just moments after his loss to Islam Makhachev]

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Ian Machado Garry confronted UFC rival Michael Morales just moments after his loss to Islam Makhachev

Ian Machado Garry was involved in a rather tense backstage face-off with UFC rival Michael Morales just moments after his loss to Islam Makhachev.

The Dublin scrapper fell short in his first shot at UFC gold on Saturday night at UFC 330. Machado Garry, 28, showed glimpses in the third round, but ultimately, Makhachev's championship experience paid dividends. The welterweight king would go on to get the nod on all three of the judges' scorecards.

After going 25 minutes with the men's pound-for-pound number one, Machado Garry was almost involved in another dust-up just minutes later. As the 28-year-old made his way backstage, the Irishman bumped into fellow welterweight star Morales. Several words were exchanged before the pair eventually shook hands and parted ways.

"All the s*** you talk... it's ok. You make sure you back it up," said Machado Garry. "I don't know whatever story you made up about meeting me... I've never encountered that story. Listen, you are a good fighter. Show up. Keep winning and you can do anything. You have got massive fights in this division.

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"You have got me, you have got (Carlos) Prates, you have got Islam (Makhachev). Show up and fight. You are an animal, you are strong. I don't know any story where I have met you and chat s*** to you. In this sport, if people talk s***, I ignore. Spread good, do good. You have knocked people out, you beat people up, that's what gets respect."

Morales remains undefeated in 19 professional fights, and looks set to be next in line for a crack at Makhachev's coveted gold strap. The 27-year-old knockout artist announced his name on the world stage in his last outing after stopping Sean Brady in the first round last November.

As for Machado Garry, the youngster will now head back to the drawing board in a bid to work his way back into title contention. Reacting to the defeat, he told Joe Rogan: "Nothing surprised me. I have nothing but respect for Islam. I believed in my heart and in my soul I was better than him tonight; he won, I have no complaints, no excuses.

This was the best camp of my life. I love my wife, my little boy, I fight to make them happy. Im 28 years of age, I have a decade of domination in this sport. This man won today, thats okay. Im as f***ing bulletproof as I could be up here [mentally]. To all the fans that doubt me, Ill be back. I dont need any of you, so go f*** yourselves!

In a later video uploaded to his social media, Machado Garry stated: "Tonight wasn't my night. Islam was just better than me tonight and that's okay. I just fought arguably the greatest fighter we've ever seen, and I pushed him to the f****** wire. I'm so proud of myself."

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