SUMMARY
- Ian Garry fights Geoff Neal on the UFC 298 main card.
- Garry is an unbeaten Irish fighter and regarded as the next big thing.
UFC 298 is set to go down this weekend inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. In the main event of this PPV, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will fight Ilia Topuria, who has set the division on fire lately. While the main event is certainly the selling point of this fight card, it also features some stars of the future, like Ian Garry.
Garry, who hails from Ireland, has been tipped to be the second coming of Conor McGregor. While his in-cage career is yet to have a blemish, Garry has been a controversial figure as of late, thanks to his wife, Layla Machado Garry. But the Irishman would be keen to put all the chatter behind him and focus on fighting this Saturday.
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He is set to fight Geoff Neal on the main card of UFC 298. The welterweight fight will definitely be an exciting one. Neal currently occupies the 8th spot in the division, while Garry is two spots behind on the 10th. So a win would put both fighters in a position to target any of the top five fighters in the division. The question is, who will emerge victorious in this crucial bout? Let’s find out.
UFC 298: Geoff Neal vs. Ian Garry stats
| Stats | Geoff Neal | Ian Garry |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 15 | 13 |
| Losses | 5 | 0 |
| Height | 1.8 m | 1.91 m |
| Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
| Reach | 190.5 cm | 189.2 cm |
| Age | 33 | 26 |
Neal vs Garry: Fight breakdown and prediction
Ian Garry has a spotless record of 13-0. He is coming off wins against Neal Magny, Daniel Rodriguez, Song Kenan, and Gabriel Green. Amongst his wins, the 26-year-old has 7 knockouts, 1 submission, and 5 decisions. While he is no slouch on the ground, Garry’s main talent lies in his striking. Since his UFC debut in November 2021, Ian Garry has already raked up 3 KOs.
Similar to Garry, Geoff Neal is also an amazing striker. He has an MMA record of 15-5, and nine of his wins have come via KO. However, unlike his opponent this Saturday, Neal is not unbeaten. He already has five losses, and in his last bout, the 33-year-old lost to Shavkat Rakhmonov via a brutal submission. The Texas native has five losses with two submissions, two judges decisions, and one KO.
As per UFC stats, Garry lands 6.67 strikes per minute while absorbing 3.58 strikes. While his striking accuracy stands at 56%, Garry’s striking defense holds at 53%. In grappling, he has a 75% takedown accuracy with a defense rate of 69%. The Future also lands 0.67 takedowns per fight. He will have to rely on his grappling slightly if he wants to have an easier time against Neal.
Geoff Neal lands 5.22 strikes per minute while absorbing 5.60 strikes at the same time. So it does look like Garry will have an ample chance to land big strikes on Neal. With a takedown accuracy of 44%, Geoff Neal won’t be much of a threat on the ground either. But he does have an 87% takedown defense. While Garry may not be using his wrestling much, he can certainly use it to set up his strikes.
Garry is a massive favorite to win the fight at UFC 298. However, it has to be mentioned that Geoff Neal has a lot of power in his hands and has defeated good strikers like Santiago Ponzinibbio, Vicente Luque, and Mike Perry. But Ian is far better and much more nimble with his foot movement, which will make it difficult for Neal to hit him. So it will not be surprising to see him gas Geoff Neal out and finish him with strikes later.
