UFC 298: Geoff Neal vs Ian Garry Best Bets and Predictions

UFC 298 is coming up on this weekend’s UFC fight schedule and the card is stacked, especially the PPV portion. A key fight on the main card will be this welterweight bout between Geoff Neal and Ian Garry. The winner of this will go on to a much bigger fight later this year.

Neal vs. Garry Picks

• Pick: Garry by KO/TKO (+300).

Read along for an official Neal vs Garry prediction before betting on any upcoming UFC fights this weekend.

Geoff Neal vs Ian Garry Information

Geoff Neal vs Ian Garry

Location of the fight: Honda Center, Anaheim, California, United States

Date and Time: February 17, 2024.10 PM ET main card start

How to Watch: ESPN+ PPV

Last Fight Record

Neal will be looking to bounce back from a third-round submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov last March at UFC 285.

Garry is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Neil Magny at UFC 292 in August.

Geoff Neal vs Ian Garry Betting Analysis

Geoff Neal

With a 15-5 MMA record, Neal, an American professional mixed martial artist, has accumulated 9 TKO/KO wins and 2 submissions. He has earned three post-fight bonuses in the UFC and is the #8 ranked welterweight contender currently.

Neal is a 5’11” southpaw with a 75” reach. He averages 5.22 significant strikes landed and 5.60 significant strikes absorbed per minute in the UFC. He also has a very solid 87% takedown defense, while mixing in about half a takedown per 15 minutes spent in the octagon.

Ian Garry

At only 26 years old, Garry boasts a professional record of 13-0, with 7 TKO/KO victories and 1 submission. He is a black belt in Judo and the #10 ranked welterweight contender in the UFC right now. He is the former Cage Warriors welterweight champion and has won one performance bonus in the UFC.

Garry stands in at 6’3” and has a 74” reach while fighting out of the orthodox stance. In the octagon, he averages a whopping 6.67 significant strikes landed per minute while absorbing just 3.58. He also has a modest 69% takedown defense.

Updates

No injuries have been reported to the UFC or ESPN. 

Neal vs. Garry Betting Preview

To win UFC bets, you need to preview UFC betting lines at BetUS, study the tape of fighters, and understand the styles of each fighter you’re betting on. The Neal vs Garry prediction is a tricky one to make with lots of factors involved.

Starting with the UFC odds for this matchup, Garry is coming in as the -235 betting favorite against the higher-ranked Neal at +200. Whether the bout goes the distance or not, it remains evenly matched, with the over/under set at 2.5 rounds.

As we break down these two from a technical standpoint, Garry is superior. He is level beyond pretty much everyone his age in the entire world and can outstrike anybody when he’s at his best. His length, speed, and eyes are what set him apart from everybody else his age.

Neal is a very good athlete with tons of power in his hands, but he isn’t as diverse in attacks as Gary. Neal uses his power to keep opponents honest and always has confidence in his left-hand landing and ending the fight–he will even throw that left hand up to 6 or 7 times in a row.

If this was a kickboxing fight, Garry would be a massive favorite; but Neal has 4-ounce gloves on and Garry has been clipped and dropped before by fighters with much less explosiveness and power than Neal.

The key factors to this fight go beyond the technical skill of both men; it creeps into personal life, the media, and of course health. Health issues and injuries have plagued Neal, even resulting in reported arm surgery. Garry is dealing with a lot of pressure he put on himself with his brash behavior, and hate from many MMA fans. 

Neal vs Garry Best Bets and Prediction

Hardcore MMA fans circle every Geoff Neal fight on the UFC schedule because of his exciting skill set, and many people are circling this fight with Garry on their calendar because they want to see him lose.

At first, this UFC prediction was very different, but with injuries and outside events involved in the leadup to this fight, our official Neal vs Garry prediction is that Garry will get his hand raised.

Garry is going to have a lot of success in this matchup against a southpaw with virtually only a great left cross in his arsenal at a distance. The young Irishman will use his jab and rear leg to damage Neal and control the distance. 

To increase your chances of winning, take a chance and bet on Neal for a TKO/KO victory because it’s his only real chance of victory this weekend.

• Pick: Garry by KO/TKO (+300).

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