UFC 314’s Marco Tulio: ‘I learn a lot from’ training with Ian Machado Garry

Marco Tulio feels ready for his middleweight clash with Tresean Gore at Saturday’s UFC 314 in Miami, in part due to training with one of the best welterweights on the roster, Ireland’s own Ian Machado Garry.

“For Ian to come here and be part of our training and do his training camps with us, that goes to show our quality,” Tulio told MMA Fighting. “He’s one of the best in the world, so coming here and praising us goes to show how strong is our team even though the heavier athletes [at Chute Boxe Diego Lima] don’t get as much attention as the lighter weights.”

Garry was on a roll in the UFC before losing a close match with Shavkat Rakhmonov in December, and has once again agreed to step in on relatively short notice to fight Carlos Prates in the main event of UFC Kansas City on April 26. The 170-pound showdown is also a regional clash of teams, Chute Boxe vs. Fighting Nerds.

“Ian Garry embraced Brazil before Brazil embraced him,” Tulio said. “His wife is Brazilian, his coaches are top of the class. His energy is surreal. Every time he comes here it’s an awesome vibe in training. I learn a lot from him. He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever trained with. Brazil vs. Brazil always suck, but it’s part of the game.”

Tulio enters the cage two weeks before Garry faces Prates, and he’s confident he’ll improve to 2-0 in the promotion. Tulio had to beat two men on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC deal, topping Yousri Belgaroui and Matthieu Duclos, and walked through Ihor Potieria in his UFC debut back in January.

“I knew of [Potieria’s] qualities but did the homework to be able to stop him, and it worked,” Tulio said. “And now we’ve done the homework for the next opponent. My style is a bit different, and I think [Gore] will be bothered by it. I watched his fight against [Antonio] Trocoli and have a good strategy for him. I never underestimate my opponents, but I always believe in my game. I’m sure we’ve done the homework and it’s going to be victory on the 12th.”

The 30-year-old middleweight has won his past nine, six by knockout, and feels that being added to a pay-per-view card shows the promotion sees him as a star in the making.

With that in mind, Tulio hopes to impress the UFC brass and fans in Miami.

“I like to think about winning, always,” Tulio said. “If the knockout comes, I’ll be very happy. If the bonus comes, even more. It’s going to be a wonderful night. I’m preparing a few tricks to chase that bonus. I’m a well-rounded fighter. Many people think I have no grappling, that I have no jiu-jitsu, that I don’t know any of that. Striking is my background, but I’ve worked on some cool little things to show everybody on the 12th.”