Ian Garry has become one of the most divisive figures in the UFC, but Chael Sonnen feels fans are simply seeing him the wrong way. Ahead of Garry’s welterweight title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 330, “The American Gangster” made an unexpected comparison, suggesting the Irishman reminds him of one of television’s toughest characters: Rip Wheeler from Yellowstone.

The parallel came after Garry’s recent comments on the High Performance podcast sparked outrage in the MMA community. Discussing his wife’s influence over him, Garry suggested men should step aside and let women take over, arguing it would make things simpler and easier for everyone, comments that left many questioning how such ideas fit the image of an elite fighter. Chael Sonnen, however, argued that audiences have already embraced that exact type of personality through fictional characters. One such example is Rip Wheeler, a feared ranch foreman who is viewed as one of television’s toughest men, yet willingly takes direction from the woman he loves.

“He’s still the coolest character on TV,” he said on his YouTube channel. “But now you’ve got his replacement, which is his son, his orphan son who is taking in and making in his own likeness. And the orphan son doing a pretty good job. He’s a cowboy, and he’s getting drunk at night, and he’s getting up in the morning. He’s going out and working even though he’s got the hangover.

“I mean, right, he’s doing tough things and he’s learning to gun. He’s learning to protect the house. He’s doing all these things, and then he meets up with a girl that tells him what to do. But there’s a place for it. There’s these are some of the biggest shows on television.”

For Sonnen, that’s exactly why the criticism directed at Garry doesn’t make much sense. He argued that millions of people love characters like Rip despite the same contradiction.

“I’m just here to tell you that some of the great characters, even the ones that are created in a writer’s room right now in popular society, are more like Ian Garry,” he added in the video. “I’m bringing this to your attention, and I don’t think any of you would disagree with me that Rip is the coolest character on TV. Rip is the same character that Ian Garry is.”

The timing isn’t accidental. Garry enters UFC 330 on a two-fight win streak, having beaten Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad to earn his first UFC title opportunity, and pushing his record to 17-1, with his only loss coming to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2024. But outside the Octagon, his interviews continue to divide opinion almost as much as his performances inside it.

In fact, Sonnen had to come to Garry’s defense because former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub had taken the exact opposite approach.

Brendan Schaub told Ian Garry to “shut up and fight”

Garry’s statement that the world would be a better place if women were in charge soon went viral online, with Schaub claiming the Irish contender was doing himself more harm than good.

“God damn, he’s bad, and these c— outlets he’s going on,” Schaub said in a video he uploaded on X. “Do you know the UFC fanbase? I’m like, yeah, he’s trolling when he’s like, ‘The world would be so much better if the world was run by women.’ I’m sure you and your wife talk about things at night; that doesn’t mean you should use it to promote a cage fight against the pound-for-pound No. 1 guy in the world. He should only be allowed to talk about fighting.

“You know how people tell LeBron James, ‘Shut up and dribble.’ I never agreed with that. I’m like, come on, man. They’re people, too. You got to let them express themselves. Until I heard Ian Garry do an interview. (Now) I’m like, ‘Oh, shut up and fight,’ because you’re turning everybody off and nobody’s buying this. Nobody’s buying the schtick. Nobody.”

Whether fans love him or hate him, “The Future” has made sure everyone is talking about him as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career. Garry will face Islam Makhachev, who enters at 28-1 and riding a 16-fight win streak tied for the longest in UFC history, for the welterweight title at UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia, where he’ll finally have the chance to let his performance do the talking.