Ian Machado Garry defeated Geoff Neal via a split decision 30-27, 20-27, 29-28 at their UFC UFC 298 clash in Anaheim, California. ‘The One’ and ‘Handz of Steel’ were scheduled to face each other at UFC 292 last year, but Neal pulled out due to medical reasons.

Garry, dogged by controversies around his wife, Layla Machado since late last year walked into the fight to the Eric Clapton classic ‘Layla’, clearly a defiant gesture towards fans who had accused her of having ‘trapped’ the Irishman.

The controversy continued as the X handle ‘Spinnin Backfist’ posted a clip of Garry’s wife being in a section all by herself at the event as she reacted to the Irishman’s victory. The handle raised questions about why the UFC gave her such ‘special treatment’, and captioned the video “Have we ever seen the UFC give a seat like this to a wife? Alone? Wasnt that kinda weird? Plus they showed her immediately after the decision was read.”

The reason, of course, seems to be that the UFC wants to keep distance between her and fans, among whom she is very unpopular. This unpopularity was apparent after Garry was booed by the crowd during his in-octagon post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. The Irishman, to his credit, basked in the crowd’s chants and seemed unbothered.

Garry calls for Colby Covington clash next

On being asked by Rogan who he would like to fight next, Ian Garry called out Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington, who is coming off a loss to champion Leon Edwards for the welterweight title. The undefeated Irishman vowed to retire the American, whose UFC career is on a downward slope.

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“There’s one guy I want next and I’ve been saying his name all week… his name is Colby Covington. That guy is on a three-fight skid against world champions, and I want to retire you from the UFC… Anywhere. Anytime. [Conor] McGregor and [Michael] Chandler co-main event? I’m in!” Garry asserted.

While Garry will almost definitely go into a potential matchup with ‘Chaos’ as the favorite and the bout may not find favor among fans, it is definitely a good move for ‘The One’. A relatively easier opponent, a win over the #5 ranked Covington will not only help him break into the top-5 but also be one or two steps away from a title shot. Who would you like to see Garry fight next?

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