UFC 298 is upon us and we are witnessing some high-level mixed martial arts. With the athletes fighting at the highest level of the sport, we are seeing some impressive performances throughout the card. As for this one, let’s take a closer look at Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal.
For the most part, the majority of fans wanted Geof Neal to brutally knock out Ian Garry. Owing to the entire ordeal with Garry making a t-shirt out of Neal’s mugshot, a lot of fans had turned against the Irishman. Not only that but further drama involving the youngster’s elder wife has led to a lot of controversies in recent months. Thus, there was a clear bias against the fighter for this one.
You’re going to want to tune in for this one 👀@HandzOfSteelMMA vs @IanGarryMMA
[ Live RIGHT NOW on @ESPNPlus PPV ] pic.twitter.com/Vca8zLEuWb
— UFC (@ufc) February 18, 2024
As for the fight itself, both fighters were pretty neck and neck. Whilst Neal seemingly planted himself in the center of the Octagon, ‘The Future’ mostly stayed on the outside, trying to chip away with kicks. Occasionally, Garry would throw the knees right down the middle, and begin spamming them after finding some success. At the same time, Neal stayed relentless, walking down his opponent.
With that said, ‘Handz of Steel’ never really managed to get out of first gear and threaten Ian. Although he did manage to get some licks in, he missed his signature heavy hooks against his opponent. Throughout his career, Neal has shown that he is one of the hardest hitters in the division, but failed to live up to it in the fight. As for Garry, he continued to chip away with kicks and counters to try and outpoint his opponent.
UFC 298: Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal official scorecards
Eventually, Ian Garry was declared the winner by a split decision. Although many felt that the Irishman had clearly won the fight, the judges’ scorecard did not reflect the same. For the most part, once fans realized that Geoff Neal was not going to win the fight, they started to boo Garry, hoping to distract or dishearten the fighter in any way possible.
At the same time, many were left disappointed with Neal’s unwillingness to push the pace and really go for the throat of Garry. Another unusual thing was both fighters dapping each other up after what seemed like every exchange. Naturally, this did not go down well with many fans, and likely many experts as well. All things considered, it was likely the most timid fight on the main card, contrary to its expectations.
#UFC298 Official Scorecards: Geoff Neal vs Ian Machado Garry (@iangarryMMA)
See every scorecard here ➡️: https://t.co/hCgvAbqMcl pic.twitter.com/qvDyv3LkMf
— UFC News (@UFCNews) February 18, 2024
With that said, Judge Felicia Oh scored the contest 27-30 in favor of Garry, whilst Derek Cleary scored it 29-28 for Neal and finally, Sal D’Amato scored it 27-30 for Garry as well. As for the stats, Ian outlanded Geoff 80-57, leading on signature, head, and leg strikes As such, the only thing going for the American fighter was his more than 3 minutes of control time.
Following the fight, Ian fully gave in to playing the ‘bad guy’. Speaking in the post-fight interview, he gave it to the fans for booing him and promised to keep on winning regardless. As for his next fight, the Irishman has made his intentions clear: he wants to retire Colby Covington. Notably, he wants to do it on the co-main event of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler later in the year as well. Whether it happens or not, only time will tell.
