Ian Machado Garry is expected to perform well in his upcoming UFC 298 fight against Geoff Neal, with fellow welterweight Matt Brown praising Garry as “championship level” and suggesting that a good performance could silence critics and refocus attention on his career.
Ian Machado Garry’s got a lot riding on his UFC 298 performance. He’s up against Geoff Neal, and it’s more than just a fight.
This match gives the welterweight prospect a chance to climb the rankings. But, it’s also an opportunity for him to refocus on his career. He’s been caught in a whirlwind of negativity lately, mostly due to comments made about his wife by fighters like Sean Strickland and Colby Covington.
Garry’s been cool, though. He’s kept his composure. But come Saturday, he can shut everyone up with a stellar performance.
Matt Brown, the welterweight knockout king, expects just that. He’s been singing Garry’s praises ahead of his return. “Ian Garry is championship f****** level material,” Brown declared on The Fighter vs. The Writer. He’s not interested in the sideshow drama. He believes Garry’s got what it takes to be a champion, especially when paired with the right striking guys.
Brown admits he doesn’t know much about Garry’s wrestling skills. He’s not seen him on his back. He hasn’t watched a lot of his fights, but the ones he has seen, they were striking battles. And Garry looked f****** tremendous.
Garry’s early UFC career has been impressive, but Neal is going to be his toughest test yet. Neal, a Contender Series veteran, has been a constant in the welterweight rankings for a few years now. He’s got wins over big names like Belal Muhammad, Mike Perry, and Vicente Luque.
Neal also gave undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov a run for his money. They had a fierce fight before Neal was finally submitted late in the third round.
Brown still favors Garry over Neal, style-wise. He’s curious to see how the 26-year-old Irishman will handle a higher level of competition.
“At this point, it’s all a mental game for him, at least for the Geoff Neal fight,” Brown explained. He acknowledges Neal’s power but believes Garry has every skill to win this fight.
Brown doesn’t think Garry’s the best striker in the welterweight division yet, but he sees that potential in him. Garry will eventually have to face high-level grapplers like Rakhmonov, Muhammad, or even Gilbert Burns. But there’s no doubt his striking can hang with anyone.
“From what I’ve seen so far, he has the potential of [being the best striker at 170 pounds],” Brown said. He hasn’t seen Garry against the toughest matchups yet, but every arrow is pointing in that direction.
Brown doesn’t think the potential distractions from fighters like Strickland or Covington will harm Garry at this stage. He believes Garry could use all of that as motivation to train harder and prove he’s the best in the world.
“I don’t know him as a person but from the outside looking in, the way his personality is, I bet it’s putting a chip on his shoulder,” Brown said. He thinks this could be fueling Garry to train harder, want this more, and prove everyone wrong.
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