Carlos Prates had the option to reignite his rivalry with Ian Garry and angle for a rematch with some crass remarks about the Irishman’s wife, Layla. But choosing between a chance at avenging his sole career loss and showing respect to the mother of a three-year-old who calls him his favorite fighter was an easy choice for the Brazilian.

During the Q&A session of the UFC 325 pre-fight weigh-ins this past weekend, one fan asked him a wildly inappropriate question about his former opponent’s wife, Layla Machado Garry: “How many times do you reckon you’ve f—ed Ian Garry’s wife?” Since English is a foreign language for Prates, he had to ask Jon Anik what exactly the fan meant. And his no-nonsense response has since earned him public appreciation from Ian Garry’s wife, Layla.

Carlos Prates refuses to humiliate Layla Machado Garry, earning her praise

“Where I come from, you cannot say something bad about somebody’s wife or family,” Carlos Prates immediately replied once he understood the disrespectful question. “They can ki-l you if you say something about somebody’s family. We are big rivals inside the cage, but outside of the cage, we have respect for each other.” The response quickly buckled the fan, forcing him to apologize for the question. Prates received audible cheers and praise from fans for his reply.

And now, Ian Garry’s wife herself has responded to Prates’ statement, praising him for his words. “Leo’s favorite fighter has some beautiful morals,” she wrote in an Instagram post earlier today, sharing a clip of Prates’ response. Leo is her and Garry’s son, who was born in October 2022, three years before Prates dropped his only UFC loss to Garry.

In a clip that Garry shared on his socials much later, he asked the toddler who his favorite fighter was. Leo named Carlos Prates without a second thought. Garry joked in response, saying how dominating ‘The Nightmare’ for four and a half rounds did not earn him commendation from his own son.

Regardless, Layla thanked Prates, saying, “This means the world to us. To stand on stage, encouraged to humiliate and abuse, knowing the crowd may laugh and boost your ego, but choosing to be moral and [conscious] and right.” She added, “[But] sadly, in MMA it’s not so.”

“I thank you for setting a better standard and protecting me in this moment. Your voice is more powerful than you can imagine,” she concluded in the post.

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Layla, who is an English television presenter, and Garry have been together since at least March 2021. They tied the knot in February 2022 and welcomed their son in October. Before Garry, Layla was married to Richard Cullen, a nutritionist, in 2014. They had a son together, but divorced shortly after.

This isn’t the first time Layla Machado Garry has been involved in conversations with UFC fighters. While Prates decided to be noble, others were not so kind in the past. 

Sean Strickland threatened with lawsuit by Ian Garry

Sean Strickland’s habit of saying what’s on his mind without any filter could have landed him in legal trouble. Back in November 2023, Strickland launched a lengthy public rant about Garry’s marriage after finding out the age gap between the couple. He also learned that Layla’s ex lived with them. While feigning concern, Strickland made several personal remarks, stating, “Something about that woman ain’t f—king right,” and urging Garry to “run away.”

Garry did not take the comments lightly. According to Strickland, Garry sent him direct messages accusing him of “harassment and defamation of character,” along with spreading “hate, lies, and harassment.” Garry warned of possible legal action if the comments weren’t removed.

Strickland responded by doubling down, calling Garry a “f—king coward” and dismissing the threat outright: “You’re gonna sue me motherf—ker?!? … I ain’t f—king lying bro, this is factual.”

The feud between Strickland and Garry turned into a public back-and-forth, with even chatter of a fight to settle things. However, nothing ultimately materialized, and things soon fizzled out. 

Ian Garry’s wife appears to have struggled with UFC fighters using her to talk trash about her husband. And Prates’ comments came as a change for Layla. What did you think of Prates’ response?