Ian Garry on Colby and Usman: 'They don’t want to fight, they’re just making noise'

Ian Machado Garry is certainly one of the leaders of the new generation in welterweight, while the older fighters who were once at the top of the division are slowly coming to the end of their careers. This Saturday, Garry faces a challenge in the form of the dangerous Carlos Prates, and a victory for both could mean a lot.

The welter division has changed a lot in the last five years, with new faces coming in, while the older ones, such as Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, are less and less present in the action and the media. Speaking of them, Ian said yesterday that he considers them former fighters.

"We're slowly getting the old ones out and the new ones in. We're trying to get rid of these people like Colby or Kamaru , who are trying to stay relevant in every way. They're trying to stay relevant on podcasts by insulting Paddy Pimblett. That's all they are right now. They don't want to fight," Ian told CBS Sports.

The young stud also mentioned veterans Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns, who he claims are on the decline and need to make way for younger guys.

"These are people like me: Prates, Morales, Brady, Shavkat, Jack, and the rest. The welterweight division is entering a new era; these are all guys who will be around for a long time," he added.

All of what Garry described is a completely natural process that every division goes through. Let's remember when welterweight was ruled by GSP, Rory McDonald, or Tyron Woodley. They are all legends of this sport, but time changes everything. Today, we have reached a stage where names like Shavkat, Khamzat, or Garry are far above the level of the very beginnings of the welter division when fighters like Matt Hughes were focused exclusively on wrestling. Modern fighters usually have black belts in multiple disciplines and are much more complete, which Garry confirmed.

Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad also gave his opinion on Ian.

"Ian fights very smart. He understands how to win and I think his experience with Shavkat will help him fight Prates," Belal told MMA Junkie.

The welterweight is certainly entering a new phase, but Ian will need a win on Saturday to move closer to a challen