Neil Magny says Ian Garry’s ‘Child abuser’ comments affected him while fighting for custody of his children
Ian Garry’s comments labeling Neil Magny a child abuser appear to have had some very real consequences for the Illinois native.
Things got fairly heated between Magny and Garry leading up to their clash at UFC 292 in August. During a press conference appearance, the ‘Haitian Sensation’ remarked that he would put a father-like beating on the Irishman come fight night. Garry decided to run with it, suggesting that Magny was bragging about abusing his children.
“Beating your child is not cool to brag about at a press conference,” Garry said in response.
As it turns out, Magny was in the middle of a custody battle for his children and Garry’s comments were used as ammunition in a court of law. Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Magny detailed the all-too-real impact of Garry’s words.
“[Garry’s comments] in itself had a lot more consequences than just like nonsense at the press conference,” Magny revealed. “There were literally screenshots being taken of headlines saying that I’m a child abuser and I’d do this to my kids. There were screenshots being taken and put into apps and things like that that would be admissible in court where I’m literally fighting for custody of my children.”
He added,“When it was all said and done… there was something that came out very poorly on my end. The way he chose to blow it out of proportion has some pretty significant consequences for me. It was just a lot bigger than just selling a pay-per-view… It was literally my children’s relationship [with me] was at stake at that point.”
Neil Magny Responds to Ian Garry’s Latest Controversy
Ian Garry has been the subject of much backlash within the MMA community after reigning middleweight champion Sean Strickland blew the floodgates open on his unconventional relationship with his wife, Layla Anna-Lee. Strickland revealed that more than a decade ago, she had written a book entitled How to Be a Wag, a guidebook for older women looking to date and marry young athletes and celebrities.
Both Garry and Anna-Lee have labeled the book as satire, but the fact that Anna-Lee is 14 years older than ‘The Future’ was not lost on anyone, including Strickland who went off on both parties, prompting Garry to threaten legal action.
“I mean, I saw it,” Magny said when asked if he had seen Garry’s latest controversy. “It is hard for me to like get away from it and ignore it… I’m not even exaggerating, [I’m getting tagged on] like 50 posts a day. I have literally 500 text messages of people who text me about things Ian Garry said.
Amid all the background noise, Garry is currently gearing up for the biggest fight of his career. On December 16, he’ll step inside the Octagon at UFC 296 for a clash with top-10 welterweight contender Vicente Luque. Garry currently sits undefeated in his professional career, dispatching his first 13 opponents, including six under the UFC banner.
