Ian Machado Garry has never been reluctant to question conventional thinking, and his most recent comments may be among his most unexpected yet. Just weeks before facing Islam Makhachev for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 next month, ‘The Future’ went blunt about masculinity, emotions, and why he believes embracing his feminine side has made him a stronger man.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Garry revealed that he has no issue showing emotion, even admitting that animated movies can bring him to tears.

“I cry watching Disney films,” he confessed. “I just think I am so in touch with my feminine side that I feel like I’m more masculine because of it. And I don’t care what people think about me. I don’t care about people’s opinions of me or what I do.

“I love who I am, and I’m constantly trying to be a better human, a better person, a better father, a better husband, and a better fighter every day of my life. That’s, if I’m not doing that, then I’m not going in the direction I see.”

The bold admission during the interview came shortly after Ian Garry made another claim during the same interview, stating that the world would be a better place if women made the decisions and that he often finds himself seeking the guidance of his wife Layla Machado.

“She’s my earth angel. She is the person who, when I need guidance, I go to her,” he continued. “And I feel like any smart man in the world should look at his wife and know that that’s the person I need to listen to. Like if the world was run by women, we’d all live in a better world.

“It would all be simpler and easier. That’s the fact of the matter, whether you wanna agree with it or not. You think whatever it is, if women ruled the world and we just listened to them and let them take over, it would be an easier way.”

And to be fair, these words are consistent with the Irishman’s broader stance on masculinity, which he says has been misunderstood for years. During the same podcast interview, the 28-year-old emphasized that being a real man is more about showing up for those who rely on you than it is about appearing tough.

According to ‘The Future,’ a real man is someone who keeps his word, is emotionally honest, and prioritizes his family even in the face of adversity. However, as expected, Garry’s comments quickly divided opinion online. In fact, even a UFC heavyweight took aim at the welterweight contender for his bold claims.

Ian Garry’s views invite pushback from Josh Hokit

The Irishman’s comments quickly went viral and raised many eyebrows. Among those who responded to it was UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit, who publicly criticized the welterweight contender’s belief that women make better leaders.

“Yes, because when I think of the ingredients of great leadership: logical decision making, consistency, non-erratic behavior patterns, not being moved by your emotions & the ability to not give a s— what anyone thinks about them… I think the female gender does that the best by far!” he sarcastically noted on X. “Ian’s a great fighter, but what a fairy.”

However, it is worth noting that Josh Hokit himself is a polarizing figure, who recently made really bad press after calling Michelle Obama a ‘man’ after his win over Derrick Lewis at UFC White House.

But for now, his criticism is just the latest controversy surrounding Garry, who has emerged as one of the UFC’s most divisive figures. In recent years, he sparked major debate via his unconventional words and actions, such as adopting his wife Layla Machado’s surname and formally becoming Ian Machado Garry—a move that made his personal life a major topic of discussion in the MMA world.

He also received flak ahead of his clash at UFC 292 for selling merchandise with Geoff Neal‘s DUI mugshot as part of the fight promotion. When met with some severe backlash, ‘The Future’ defended his approach to trash talk at the time, claiming that he hadn’t crossed the line.

Now, though, Garry’s attention is firmly fixed on the biggest challenge of his career. ‘The Future’ will face Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia, hoping to finally win the welterweight title against the fighter fans consider the best pound-for-pound athlete in the MMA world.

So it would be interesting to see whether Islam Makhachev also decides to comment on Ian Garry’s bold claims, especially since the Dagestani has refrained from talking trash and is instead taking the help of Joel Alvarez to prepare for the title fight.

For those unaware, Alvarez is also a 6-foot-3 welterweight who, much like Garry, is known for fighting at range and making effective use of his reach. The Spaniard’s frame is similar to that of Garry which means Islam is leaving nothing up for chance.

While ‘The Future’ continues to make headlines with his comments outside the cage, the Dagestani champion appears to be keeping his focus firmly on the challenge that awaits inside it.