As Ian Garry gears up to face Geoff Neal this weekend at UFC 298, a lot has changed since his last fight. The Irishman made the Charlotte crowd erupt as he knocked out Daniel Rodriguez in the first round, but fans were less than impressed with his follow-up performance against Neil Magny.
Since then, many fans have turned against Garry for a myriad of reasons. Thus, it is up to Garry to silence the dissent and make his mark at 170 pounds.
Garry (13-0-0 MMA 6-0-0 UFC) has taken the fight world by storm ever since his counter right-hand knockout of Jordan Williams in his UFC debut. The former Cage Warriors Welterweight champion has reeled off five consecutive wins since then with three by finish.
Controversy Outside the Cage
However, Ian Garry has come under fire for his conduct outside of the cage. Ahead of his canceled fight with Geoff Neal, Garry sported a shirt with Neal’s DUI mugshot on it.
Neal’s father took offense to it on social media: “Turns out Ian Garry is straight trash,” the elder Neal said. “That’s Geoff’s mug shot on his shirt. Weirdo thought it would be cute to wear this shirt to UFC 290.”
Geoff Neal himself was much more succinct. “He’s dead,” Neal said.
The fight eventually fell through due to an undisclosed health issue with Neal. Garry defeated Neil Magny on short notice with a dominating unanimous decision performance and almost fought Vicente Luque before pneumonia forced him to withdraw.
Before the Luque fight fell through, Garry’s wife Layla Machado came under fire for authoring a book titled How To Become a WAG. The title was a guide for women on how to marry a successful athlete, and it was not well-received in the eyes of fans. In addition, Garry came under fire for living with his nutritionist, Machado’s ex-husband.
All of this is a stark contrast to how Garry treated Rodriguez before their fight. He went up to him and his cornerman and asked about the weight cut and camp, and he even wished the cornerman luck in his fight a few days later. Garry’s turn towards a confrontational personality has overshadowed his talent in the cage, which is why this fight looms large.
Ian Garry’s Chance to Shine
Putting all of the controversy aside, Garry represents a huge star in the making in the UFC. He has not lost a fight in his professional career and has 11 total finishes in his career.
Geoff Neal (15-5-0 MMA 7-3-0 UFC) is a tough test for Garry, as the 33-year-old has been a contender at welterweight his entire UFC career. Most recently, Neal lost to Shavkat Rakhmonov by way of a standing rear-naked choke, but he reeled off back-to-back wins over Vicente Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio before that. Neal sits at eighth in the welterweight rankings.
Saturday’s fight is the biggest so far in Garry’s career. He has the opportunity to break into the welterweight top 10 with a win, and the stage is as big as it gets. Garry has fought on PPV cards before, but Anaheim’s card had his him in the third fight.
Not only is the stage big for Garry, but Neal is a high-level opponent who matches up well stylistically. Neal is certainly one of the best strikers in the welterweight division and had good moments against Rakhmonov.
What Does Garry Need to Do to Win?
Ian Garry has to be sharp and calculating with his shots, or Neal can hurt him. He is not much of a Muay Thai fighter, but using a teep to keep his distance can serve Garry well.
He must be careful to avoid being cracked by a shot from Neal, as “Handz of Steel” has some of the strongest punches in the division. However, fighting to avoid power shots is the same game plan that Garry was going to carry into the fight anyway.
Neal struggles with fighters at range, and Garry possesses solid at-range striking. Mixing in variations of high and low kicks to keep Neal off balance is key for the Irishman.
Garry cannot just throw those kicks naked. He needs to throw them behind a left straight or hook to get Neal’s momentum moving backward. This combination is especially potent if Garry throws a high hook to a left-body kick. The combination means Neal’s hands are at his head and Garry can dig in repeatedly.
Leg kicks have also become a prominent part of any rangy fighter’s game. Slowing down Neal’s efforts to close the distance is important, and it gives Garry time to pick and choose the shots he wants to land. Preventing Neal’s movement allows Garry to move at his discretion.
Kicks also have the potential to do plenty of damage. He used a low leg kick to take Magny out of their fight last time out. From there, he controlled the action in every facet of the fight.
Garry has to circle away from Neal’s power often and keep his guard high with the lead hand raised to shield a right straight. If Neal does try and close the distance and make it dirty, a knee up the middle would make him think twice.
What’s Next for Ian Garry?
This fight is the most important moment in Garry’s career so far, but the Irishman proves time and time again that he is well-equipped to handle it. A win here puts Garry in a formidable position. More likely than not, he is one or two fights away from title contention with a win here.
A fight with Sean Brady looms large for the future of the division. The saying goes that styles make fights, and these two fighters could not be more different in that regard. Brady brings smothering top pressure and an aggressive jiujitsu game that Garry likely has not seen before.
Other than the Brady fight, a fight against Colby Covington certainly profiles as one of interest. Covington is coming off a loss to Leon Edwards and likely wants to shake things up at welterweight.
Covington’s wrestling is an interesting wrinkle in this would-be matchup, as Garry’s wrestling is unknown so far. Garry does have fantastic takedown defense, and Covington’s pedigree puts that to the test.
Regardless of the result of this fight, it is safe to say that Ian Garry is a force to be reckoned with for a long time. He has the skills to become a champion and the microphone skills to become an ascendant star, so it is up to him to how far he goes in the UFC.
Do you think Ian Garry has what it takes to take out Geoff Neal and reach that next level? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image Credits to Embed from Getty Images
