Ian Machado Garry still has the confidence of the oddsmakers despite all the recent drama.
Fans were looking forward to seeing the return of the undefeated 13-0 Irish Welterweight star at UFC 296 this past weekend (Dec. 16, 2023). Whether that was to see him win or lose, neither happened as Garry was forced to withdraw from his bout against Vicente Luque due to pneumonia.
Garry, 26, was rebooked before the week ended, but not for a fight with Luque. Instead, Garry is now again set to collide with his fellow contender, Geoff Neal, at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024. The pair was supposed to fight at UFC 292 in August 2023 until Neal fell out of the bout and was replaced by Neil Magny. Garry won the bout via unanimous decision and now will prepare a second time for Neal. Per BetOnline.ag, Garry has opened as the biggest betting favorite out of all four fights announced by UFC CEO, Dana White, after UFC 296. The other two listed below were already official.
- Marlon Vera +160, (C)Sean O’Malley -185
- Jack Della Maddalena +130, Gilbert Burns -150
- Curtis Blaydes -108, Jailton Almeida -112
- Geoff Neal +175, Ian Machado Garry -205
- Song Yadong +140, Petr Yan -160
- Michael Page +121, Kevin Holland -141
When Neal makes his return against Garry, he’ll look to rebound off the first finish loss of his UFC career when he suffered a third round standing rear-naked choke defeat against Shavkat Rakhmonov (watch highlights) at UFC 285 in March 2023.