“He Had Five Minutes to Change His Life”Dana White Questions Ian Garry’s Killer Instinct

Ian Garry only had about five minutes to turn the fight on its head, but Dana White believes he failed to seize the right moment. After Garry went the distance with Islam Makhachev in a shot at the title, the UFC CEO asked the Irishman a simple question: “You have five minutes to shock the world, and you didn’t do it.”

White admitted that Garry looked solid through the first four rounds. But the fifth round presented a completely different challenge. With the title within reach, White expected Garry to abandon caution and win more aggressively against Makhachev. 

White Wanted Garry to "Shock the World"

White was extremely critical of Garry's approach during the endgame. 

“I felt like Ian Garry in that fifth round, you have this opportunity. You’re fighting possibly the greatest fighter of all time. And you did a damn good job for four rounds,” White said.

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He didn't waste time making it clear what he expected of Garry during the final round of the championship fight. 

“I felt like Ian Garry in that fifth round, you have this opportunity. You’re fighting possibly the greatest fighter of all time. And you did a damn good job for four rounds," he said. “Show Islam all the love you want when the fight’s over. This is the fifth round. You have five minutes to shock the world… and you didn’t do it.”

Now, Garry had already made it through four rough rounds against Makhachev, but White saw the next round as a real chance, not just another repeat. Instead of sticking to the same approach, Garry should have sped things up and taken more risks to try to take control of the fight, White believed. 

Garry's Title Opportunity Slips Away

The criticism points to how tight things get when you face an elite champion like Makhachev. Garry had the opportunity to make a real mark against one of the sport's best, but White felt the last stretch did not have enough push.

According to White, the real issue wasn't Garry's ability to compete with Makhachev. It was far simpler: would the challenger be willing to risk it all and go all in when the fight was down to the final minutes and he had one last shot to flip the script?