Tag: Geoff Neal

UFC 298 ‘Embedded,’ No. 1: Ian Machado Garry, Charles Oliveira bring in the birds

In the first episode of UFC 298 “Embedded,” Ian Machado Garry and Charles Oliveira play with birds in Brazil.

The UFC is back for its second pay-per-view of 2024, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

In the main event, UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) attempts another successful title defense, this time against [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC). Middleweight contenders [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) face off in a long-awaited showdown in the co-main event.

Also on the card, a grudge match between [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) finally materializes after [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and [autotag]Merab Dvalishivili[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) jostle for position atop the bantamweight division.

The first episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

“Ian Machado Garry trains with Charles Oliveira. Robert Whittaker games with his dad. Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvilli wrap up camps in Vegas. Champ Alexander Volkanovski arrives in LA.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Ian Machado Garry ahead of Geoff Neal fight at UFC 298: ‘I am going to make him quit’

Ian Machado Garry plans on making Geoff Neal wilt.

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] plans on making [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] wilt.

Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) meets Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, Calif.

Fresh off a dominant win over veteran Neil Magny this past August at UFC 292, Garry will look to mirror that performance against the dangerous Neal.

“What am I going to finish him with? I am going to make him quit,” Garry said in an Instagram post. “He’ll choose when he’s done. I’d like to kick him to the body and have him do that, when the dog’s sh*tting – the look when the dogs look at you, like, when they’re pooing, for protection. That’s what they do, right? Look at their owners when they’re pooing because that’s when they’re vulnerable for attack?”

Garry was scheduled to face Neal at UFC 292, but ended up facing Magny instead after Neal withdrew. Neal hasn’t competed since a submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285. Prior to that, “Handz of Steel” picked up back-to-back wins over Santiago Ponzinibbio and a knockout of Vicente Luque. He’s also the most recent fighter to beat Belal Muhammad, who’s unbeaten in his past 10 fights.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Geoff Neal on training hopes with Sean Strickland – and a DM about Ian Machado Garry

It appears Geoff Neal may have found an ally in Sean Strickland.

It appears [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] may have found an ally in [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

Strickland ripped Ian Machado Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) for sporting a T-shirt with Neal’s mugshot on it when the pair originally was scheduled to fight this past August at UFC 292. Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) withdrew and was replaced by Neil Magny, whom Garry dominated.

Neal and Garry have been rebooked for UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, Calif. Neal said former middleweight champion Strickland reached out to him about Garry.

“He just asked if it was OK if he posted his mugshot with mine, and I was like, ‘I don’t care,'” Neal said in an interview with Fanatics View. “We talked recently. I’ve hit him up after a few of his fights. (I) wanted to go train with him because I see his sparring videos and I like the way he spars, and I do one day want to get in there and mix it up with him and train with him.”

Despite the backlash, Garry’s antics haven’t stopped. He’s still selling merchandise with Neal’s mugshot on it, as well as taunting him about his struggles with COVID. However, Neal isn’t interested in going back-and-forth with the brash rising star.

“I’m not going to engage in too much trash talk,” Neal said. “I’ve never been that type of person, but it’s entertaining, him talking sh*t. But the fans (have) got my back on this one. I don’t got to say sh*t anymore.”

Trash talk aside, Neal sees Garry as a formidable opponent.

“It’s two strikers going at it,” Neal said. “He’s real technical and rangy on the outside, so I’m just going to have to get in there and make it dirty, make it ugly, push the pressure, push the pace, test my COVID lung and see how much pace I can push on him.”

Neal’s power has wobbled the likes of top contender Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque, and he expects to do the same to Garry.

“I feel like I’m going to take him out in the second round … second round, maybe early third round,” Neal said. “… It’ll be satisfying for sure, but I feel like it’s the perfect fight for me for right now. He has a big name and he has a lot of hate, but hopefully I can get some more clout, I guess you can say.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

UFC free fight: Geoff Neal viciously knocks out Vicente Luque with nasty combination

Watch Geoff Neal’s vicious knockout win over Vicente Luque.

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] has picked up many impressive wins throughout his UFC tenure, and that includes his victory over Vicente Luque.

In August 2022, Neal picked up arguably his best career win when he put away Luque in brutal fashion. The two went toe to toe for the majority of the fight, and in the third round, Neal backed Luque up and put him away with a vicious combination. It was a big win for Neal that got him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

You can watch Neal’s knockout win in the video above.

Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) next is booked in a welterweight bout against Ian Machado Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, Calif. The two originally were scheduled to fight this past August at UFC 292, but Neal had to pull out.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Video: Which first-quarter 2024 UFC matchup is the most intriguing?

The first quarter of the UFC’s 2024 slate isn’t quite complete, but it already looks promising.

The first quarter of the UFC’s 2024 slate isn’t quite complete, but it already looks promising.

To open the year, the UFC has three pay-per-view main events booked – all title fights and one each for January, February and March:

  • UFC 297: Middleweight champ [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]
  • UFC 298: Featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]
  • UFC 299: Bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]

In addition to those headliners, we also know about newly signed [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag], [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag], [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] vs. Merab Dvalishvili, and more.

Which of these first-quarter matchups is the most intriguing? Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that question with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above or check out this week’s full episode on YouTube or in podcast form.

 

Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal shifted from Miami to UFC 298 in Anaheim

The rebooked matchup between Ian Garry and Geoff Neal has a new date and location.

The rebooked matchup between [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] and [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] has a new date and location.

After UFC CEO Dana White initially announced the welterweight bout for March’s UFC 299 in Miami, the clash between Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has been shifted to UFC 298, which takes place Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN.

White announced the change of date Thursday on social media among a flurry of other fight announcements (via X):

Garry was scheduled to face Vicente Luque on the main card of UFC 296 this month, but was forced to withdraw Wednesday after falling ill with pneumonia. Now, a few days later, he’s got a new date and opponent for his return. White didn’t reveal why the promotion didn’t keep the booking with Luque.

Garry and Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) have history. They were previously booked to fight at UFC 292 in August, but Neal had to pull out of the fight and was replaced by Neil Magny, whom Garry beat in a dominant unanimous decision win. In the build up to the event, Garry wore a t-shirt with the mugshot of Neal, causing a stir online.

The Irishman is undefeated in his MMA career and is regarded as one of the more promising contenders at 170 pounds. On the other hand, Neal, a veteran of the game, is looking to build back to title contention, as he last fought in March when he was submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov. Prior to that, Neal had back-to-back wins over Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio.

The latest UFC 298 lineup now includes:

  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria – for featherweight title
  • Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili
  • Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal
  • Amanda Lemos vs. Tatiana Suarez
  • Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Anthony Hernandez
  • Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Marcos Rogerio vs. Justin Tafa
  • Brady Hiestand vs. Rinya Nakamura
  • Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro
  • Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn
  • Danny Barlow vs. Yusaku Kinoshita

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

After UFC 296 withdrawal, Ian Machado Garry gets booking against Geoff Neal at UFC 299

Ian Machado Garry gets a new date and opponent for his UFC return.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] to get a return date to the octagon.

Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has been booked to fight veteran [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] at UFC 299, which is set to go down on March 9 in Miami. UFC president Dana White announced the news Saturday following UFC 296 in Las Vegas.

Garry was scheduled to face Vicente Luque on the main card of UFC 296, but was forced to withdraw Wednesday after falling ill with pneumonia. Now, a few days later, he’s got a new date and opponent for his return. White didn’t reveal why the promotion didn’t keep the booking with Luque.

Garry and Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) have history. They were previously booked to fight at UFC 292 in August, but Neal had to pull out of the fight and was replaced by Neil Magny, whom Garry beat in a dominant unanimous decision win. In the build up to the event, Garry wore a t-shirt with the mugshot of Neal, causing a stir online.

The Irishman is undefeated in his MMA career and is regarded as one of the more promising contenders at 170 pounds. On the other hand, Neal, a veteran of the game, is looking to build back to title contention, as he last fought in March when he was submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov. Prior to that, Neal had back-to-back wins over Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio.

With the addition, the UFC 299 fight card includes:

  • Champion Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera – for bantamweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Curtis Blaydes
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal
  • Song Yadong vs. Petr Yan
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips
  • Asu Almabaev vs. CJ Vergara
  • Maycee Barber vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Mateusz Gamrot
  • Lauren Murphy vs. Karine Silva
  • Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 7-13)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 7-13.

Geoff Neal’s coach Sayif Saud responds to Ian Machado Garry and manager’s ‘stupid’ criticism of UFC 292 withdrawal

Ian Machado Garry and his manager’s comments following Geoff Neal’s withdrawl from UFC 292 did not sit well with coach Sayif Saud.

UFC welterweight contender [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]’s head coach [autotag]Sayif Saud[/autotag] is not happy with some criticism that has followed his withdrawal from UFC 292. Specifically, the remarks coming from his formerly scheduled opponent’s manager.

Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was set to take on undefeated Ian Machado Garry (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at the upcoming UFC pay-per-view event in Boston on Aug. 19. Due to medical issues, Neal was forced to withdraw from the contest, which drew unsavory criticism from Garry’s manager Llyod Pierson.

“His p*ssy hurts,” said Pierson in a video Garry posted to social media while delivering the news of Neal’s withdrawal. Garry’s quote along with the video stated, “Geoff Neal has b*tched out.”

The criticism from the pair did not sit well with Saud, who has witnessed every step of Neal’s journey since being hospitalized with sepsis in 2020. According to Saud, Neal has never fully recovered from his brush with death, despite continuing his career.

“The fans know that Geoff Neal was a fast-rising star, and after that happened, he just hasn’t quite been the same, and it’s been a mystery of something we’ve been trying to solve for a long time,” Sayif told MMA Junkie. “He’s a guy that almost died. He literally almost died, and was in the ICU for nine days.”

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After being cleared to compete, Neal went on to face some of the biggest names and toughest competition at 170 pounds. He has gone on to record mixed results against Stephen Thompson, Neil Magny, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Vicente Luque, and most recently, Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Neal’s most recent bout did not go off without a hitch. He was originally scheduled to face Rakhmonov in January, but had to withdraw due to a medical issue. The pairing remained intact and was rescheduled for UFC 285. It turned out to be an intense main card battle that earned the Fight of the Night award.

Considering the lineup of opponents Neal has faced since dealing with his medical complications, Saud was not pleased to hear Garry and Pierson insinuate that Neal was scared to show up for their scheduled fight at UFC 292.

“It’s just stupid to say that,” Saud said. “Geoff is the guy that tried to push through for the Shavkat fight and everyone’s like, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ Everyone feels it. All the fans. The guy’s just not healthy. Everyone knows this story. Are you that tone deaf that you don’t know what’s going on in the sport? Everybody knows his situation.”

Garry has since found a replacement opponent in Neil Magny, and will remain on the UFC 292 card.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Geoff Neal out of UFC 292 fight vs. Ian Machado Garry in Boston

An undisclosed medical issue has ruled Geoff Neal out of his UFC 292 fight with Ian Machado Garry.

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] will have to wait to get his big step up in the UFC welterweight division.

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] has withdrawn from his UFC 292 fight with Garry next weekend due to an undisclosed health issues, his management team confirmed to MMA Junkie.

Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Garry (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) were supposed to fight in a 170-pound bout on the main card of the Aug. 19 event, which takes place at TD Garden in Boston and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Garry reacted to the news on social media (via Twitter):

Garry, 25, is coming off a first-round TKO of Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 4 in May. He’s earned three of his five UFC victories by knockout and is already 2-0 inside the octagon this year.

The Irishman said in his reaction video that he intends to remain on the UFC 292 card, and hinted at Neil Magny as a potential replacement opponent. Though nothing has been confirmed at this time.

Neal, 32, was attempting to rebound from a submission loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov in the Fight of the Night at UFC 285 in March. He missed weight for the first time in his career prior to the bout, which ended a run of back-to-back wins over Vicente Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio.

The latest UFC 292 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title
  • Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos – for strawweight title
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. opponent TBA
  • Mario Bautista vs. Cody Garbrandt
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Marlon Vera

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman
  • Gregory Rodrigues vs. Denis Tiuliulin
  • Kurt Holobaugh vs. Austin Hubbard – “TUF 31” lightweight final
  • Brad Katona vs. opponent TBA – “TUF 31” bantamweight final

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)

  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski
  • Andrea Lee vs. Natalia Silva
  • Maryna Moroz vs. Karine Silva

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.