Unbeaten welterweight contender, Ian Garry has opened and still remains a distinct betting favorite to beat his incoming rival, Geoff Neal in their UFC 298 grudge fight this weekend, with the Dubliner drifting as a bigger favorite closer to the bout.
Garry, the current number ten ranked welterweight contender, has been sidelined since August of last year, most recently turning in a one-sided unanimous decision win over the division’s most-winningest fighter, Neil Magny in a judging shutout at UFC 292 in Boston.
As for Neal, the Texan has been sidelined himself since he featured at UFC 285 back in March, suffering an eventual third round standing rear-naked choke submission loss to the undefeated, Shavkat Rakhmonov in the pair’s main card showdown.
Ian Garry remains favorite to beat Geoff Neal at UFC 298
And initially opening as a betting favorite to beat Neal, Ian Garry is currently riding a -218 betting favorite over the former – who is a current +180 betting underdog – with Tipps.gg available to fans who are interested in betting on a host of cards this year, with the site also set to implement separate sections on MMA analytics, as well as their very own predictions ahead of events.
Forced from a slated return to the Octagon at UFC 296 back in December, Portmarnock striker, Garry withdrew from a planned return against Kill Cliff FC training partner, Vicente Luque at the end-of-year card, as he suffered from pneumonia during fight week.
And quickly rebooked amid his battle with illness, the outspoken Garry, who remains steadfast that he will defeat Neal in their rescheduled pairing – makes his comeback at UFC 298 this weekend in Anaheim, California.
Expecting to land a dominant win over the Dana White’s Contender Series alum, Neal, former Team KF trainee, Garry boldly claimed he would likely stop the striker with a body kick – and leave him resembling a dog defecating in the process of finishing him.
“What am I going to finish him (Geoff Neal) with?” Ian Garry said. “I am going to make him quit. He’ll choose when he’s done. I’d like to kick him to the body and have him do that – when the dog is sh*tting.”
“The dog looks at you like – when they’re pooing, for protection,” Ian Garry explained. “That’s what they do, right? [They] look at their owners when they’re pooing because that’s when they’re vulnerable for attack.”
Enjoying a roughshod run throughout the welterweight ranks since his Octagon debut back in 2022, Garry, a former Cage Warriors welterweight titleholder, has so-far enjoyed an impressive promotional-perfect run of six straight fights – notably taking out the likes of Song Kenan and Daniel Rodriguez with knockout victories, to go with his August win over Magny.
Making his debut under the Dana White-led banner back in 2018, the highly-touted Neal has himself turned in numerous high-profile triumphs during his UFC stint, including wins over the likes of Niko Price, Mike Perry, Santiago Ponzinibbio, the aforenoted, Luque, and the surging – expected next title challenger, Belal Muhammad – taking home a unanimous decision win over the Illinois native.
Who wins at UFC 298 this weekend: Geoff Neal or Ian Garry?