Ian Garry may have suffered a gut-punch setback at UFC 330, but there is one thing the Irishman certainly hasn’t lost: his fight. And now he’s got some serious eyes on him. Conor McGregor has noticed, the man who inspired ‘The Future’ to start MMA in the first place, and that could be precisely the kind of support Garry needs right now.

Following his unanimous decision defeat against Islam Makhachev, Ian Garry shared an emotional message on his Instagram Story, admitting that the loss was already weighing heavily on him. However, rather than wallow, ‘The Future’ is already looking ahead.

“I’m not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations. I’m here to live up to mine,” Garry said. “I know what it comes to tonight, and I didn’t do it right, and it’s piling away on my conscience, on my brain.

“So just get back in the gym, we get back to what we did do, and we get back in that Octagon soon, because there is nothing better than active in this sport.”

The message quickly caught the attention of his fellow Irishman and former UFC double champion Conor McGregor, who offered Ian Garry a simple two-word message of support.

“Champion mindset!” he commented on a post re-sharing Ian Garry’s IG story.

McGregor’s reaction comes on the heels of ‘The Future’ suffering just the second defeat of his pro MMA career, and it came on the biggest stage possible. Ian Garry came into the fight hoping to become the UFC welterweight champion, but Makhachev’s wrestling and control proved too much despite the Irishman inflicting more damage as per fight fans.

However, the Dagestani won via unanimous decision, extending his UFC winning streak to a record 17 fights. Ian Garry had his moments, especially as the fight progressed. After losing the first two rounds, the 28-year-old began to find some success with his body shots, bleeding the Dagestani phenom and making Islam Makhachev work harder in the later rounds.

But despite it all, he was unable to achieve the necessary finish due to what Dana White calls the lack of “killer instict,” and Makhachev eventually retained his welterweight title.

Ian Garry’s defeat was clearly a significant setback for the 28-year-old, but his quick response suggests that he isn’t interested in finding excuses. He looks to have moved past the criticism and is intent on returning to the Octagon.

Conor McGregor’s support is particularly interesting given his own history against Dagestani legend and Islam Makhachev’s coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Notorious’ lost a fourth-round submission to Khabib at UFC 229 in 2018. Since then, the Irishman has lost 4 professional MMA fights, resulting in 1 win and 3 losses.

UFC 329 was supposed to be his big comeback, but even that ended in tragedy in just 69 seconds. However, that did not stop Conor McGregor from seeking another comeback, and McGregor appears to be encouraging Ian Garry to follow a similar path and bounce back with his head held high.

In fact, there is already one fighter who could potentially welcome ‘The Future’ back to the Octagon, and it’s none other than Michael Morales.

Michael Morales could be the next challenge for Ian Garry

The undefeated welterweight served as the official backup for the UFC 330 title fight, traveling to Philadelphia in case Islam Makhachev or Ian Garry were unable to compete.

The 19-0 fighter watched the title bout from the arena before running into Garry backstage after the event. And while it could have been a normal meet-and-greet, the Irishman added some spice by confronting Morales over comments he believed the Ecuadorian had made about him.

Morales, who does not fully understand English, appeared to be more invested in defusing the situation than in escalating it. And, thankfully, the tension didn’t boil over. The two eventually shook hands and went their separate ways.

Morales is unbeaten at 19-0 and just a rank below ‘The Future’ as Garry looks to claw his way back into title contention. If both fighters want a shot at Islam Makhachev’s throne, a showdown between them could be pretty hard to ignore.

Garry may have other options first, though. He’s expected to stay inside the Top 5 regardless, with a shot at the winner of Sean Brady vs. Gabriel Bonfim on Nov. 7, or a fight against a former champion like Jack Della Maddalena, both realistic paths back into title contention before any Morales fight even becomes necessary.