Ian Garry has thrown a punch at Sean Strickland. The middleweight champ had said there are certain boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed during trash talk.
Strickland and Garry have been at odds for a while now. The champ had questioned the Irishman’s relationship with his wife, who is 14 years older than him. This happened last month during a press conference.
Strickland had also criticized Garry for disabling Instagram comments amid backlash. This was despite Garry himself having trash talked others in the past.
The press conference had another highlight. Dricus Du Plessis brought up Strickland’s abusive childhood. This was after Strickland alleged a sexual relationship between the South African and his coach.
The very next day, at UFC 296, Strickland attacked Du Plessis.
Strickland recently confessed that Du Plessis’ comments had triggered him. They had crossed certain lines, he said. The 32-year-old also shared details about his abusive childhood in an emotional interview with comedian Theo Von.
Garry couldn’t resist responding to Strickland. He took a jab at the champ’s handling of trash talk.
“How the tables have turned,” Garry wrote in the comments of an Instagram post. “You dish it out in the lowest, most vile manner, but can’t take a pinch. You attacked my wife incessantly and obsessively, calling her a [pedophile].”
Garry continued, “It’s clear to see your childhood trauma showing. You claimed you were ‘giving me advice’ before, well now it’s my turn to return the favor: You should shut your mouth and focus on the mirror because you have enough serious issues you need to solve. I wish you all the best with them. Don’t ever project your pain onto me and my family again.”
Strickland is set to defend his title against Du Plessis at UFC 297 on Jan 20. The match will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Garry will face off against Geoff Neal at UFC 298.