Ian Garry’s rivalry with Islam Makhachev may have ended at UFC 330, but the Irishman appears to have already found another welterweight to clash with. After suffering a unanimous decision loss to Makhachev in the main event at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena, Ian Machado Garry confronted fellow welterweight contender Michael Morales backstage. The Ecuadorian had served as the backup fighter for the championship bout, and the two appeared to have some unresolved issues.

A viral clip of the confrontation showed Garry approaching the 27-year-old backstage. The Irishman can be seen accusing Morales of making up stories about an alleged previous encounter between the two fighters.

“All the s—t you talk, it’s okay,” Garry said. “Make sure you back it up. No, I know. I don’t know. Whatever story you made up about meeting me, I’ve never encountered that story. You know that, right?”

Garry then appeared to encourage Morales to focus on his career rather than their apparent disagreement, reminding him that several major opportunities await him in the welterweight division

“Listen. You’re a good fighter. Show up. Keep winning, and you can do anything. Does that make sense?” Garry added. “You’ve got massive fights in this division. You’ve got me. You’ve got Prates. You’ve got Islam. Show up and fight.”

The former title challenger continued praising Morales’ abilities while making it clear that he didn’t appreciate the Ecuadorian’s previous comments.

“You’re an animal. You’re strong. Does that make sense? I don’t know about any story where I’ve met you, and I’ve talked s—t to you,” the Irishman stated. “You know that? In this sport, when people talk s—t, I ignore it. Does that make sense? You’re a good fighter. You’re young. You’re strong up here. That means you can do anything.”

Throughout their run-in, Morales did not appear to engage in the confrontation, although it was unclear whether the language barrier played a role in his limited response.

More importantly, the exact incident Garry was referring to remains unclear. However, Morales has previously spoken about an alleged confrontation involving Garry that could explain why tensions between the two welterweights have escalated.

The 19-0 undefeated welterweight contender once accused Ian Garry of confronting his teammate at the UFC Performance Institute. Though Morales didn’t reveal the exact timeline, Sherdog reported on the incident in April 2026. According to Morales, he went to confront Garry himself, but the former title challenger had already left the building before he could reach him.

Given Ian Garry’s comments backstage at UFC 330, it is possible that he was referring to that incident when he questioned Morales about the story.

Whatever the original disagreement was, Garry appeared to be trying to make his position clear rather than escalate the situation into a physical confrontation. He repeatedly emphasized the Ecuadorian’s potential and urged the young contender to focus on winning fights.

However, when it comes to backstage scuffles, this isn’t the first time the Dublin native has found himself caught up in one.

Ian Garry and a brief recap of backstage confrontations

After defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar last year, Ian Garry wanted to congratulate the main event winner, Arman Tsarukyan, on his victory over Dan Hooker backstage. But Tsarukyan was accompanied by his teammate Khamzat Chimaev, who wasn’t particularly happy to see the Dublin native there.

Soon, a clip showed Garry respectfully interacting with both Tsarukyan and Chimaev after UFC Qatar. However, after the former middleweight champion allegedly pushed him, the two got into a brief confrontation that almost went too far. Thankfully, no one was injured, but it was another instance that turned ugly pretty quickly. After his interaction with Chimaev went south, Garry addressed the run-in during the post-fight interview, calling ‘Borz’ “childish” for throwing a tantrum. Garry also claimed that Khamzat lacked the class of a champion.

Well, that’s one of those instances involving a fighter like Ian Garry, who is often respectful toward his opponents, finding himself caught up in a confrontation. But he’s certainly not alone, as the UFC world has witnessed quite a few such incidents over the years.

Back in 2019, Jorge Masvidal appeared in London to face former 170-pound title challenger Darren Till at the O2 Arena. However, the former BMF champion ended up getting into an altercation with Leon Edwards backstage after the former champion heckled him during an interview, which Masvidal found highly disrespectful. Similarly, Nick Diaz once got into a backstage altercation with Jason Guida after defeating his brother, Clay Guida, at UFC 199 in 2016.

For now, though, Ian Garry’s immediate future remains uncertain after his loss to Islam Makhachev. Whether his latest backstage confrontation eventually turns into a UFC fight remains to be seen.