MMA Twitter bored, confused by Ian Garry's win over Geoff Neal

Though he was clearly not the fan favorite in this fight, and it wasn't the most exciting encounter, Ian Machado Garry continues his rise up the UFC welterweight ranks with his win over Geoff Neal at UFC 298.

The first round saw both men feel each other out, with Machado Garry circling around the outside, while Neal looked to bring pressure and cut off the cage. About halfway through the first, Neal landed a combination and pressed Machado Garry against the cage. Machado Garry, however, fought back in the final minute, finding his distance and using it as he landed strong kicks.

Machado Garry continued to use his range in the second round, landing combinations before Neal pressed him against the fence again. Neal landed a few late combinations that were strong, however, and the two were even in significant strikes heading into the third.

What would normally be cause for fighters to ramp up, however, only brought out more of the same pacing from both men. Garry continued to land combinations, but nothing quite noteworthy other than one knee. He, however, did land more significant strikes in the round.

Neal, meanwhile, pinned Machado against the cage a couple of more times. The pacing got to the point MMA Twitter joked they were more focused on dapping each other up than actually fighting.

Fighters, fans react as Ian Machado Garry earns win over Geoff Neal in lackluster encounter

This fight marked Neal's first since being submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285 last year. After a seven-fight win streak, Neal entered this fight with just two wins in his previous five fights. Those were a split decision over Santiago Ponzinibbio and a knockout of Vicente Luque.

Machado Garry entered this fight a perfect 13-0, which included a 6-0 Octagon record. His 2023 saw finishes over Kenan Song and Daniel Rodriguez, as well as a decision win over Neil Magny at UFC 292.