Ian Machado Garry has warned Geoff Neal ahead of their matchup at UFC 292.
Undefeated Machado Garry (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on the Aug. 19 event, which takes place at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Neal is coming off a submission loss to Machado Garry’s Kill Cliff FC teammate Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285 in March. Just like his past opposition, Machado Garry expects his length to pose problems for Neal.
“Everybody says the same thing when they fight me,” Machado Garry told Cageside Press. “I think I’m a different animal to what he’s faced before. I hit harder than what he’s faced before. He’s not seen anybody like me. I couldn’t care less what they say. The truth is, every single one of them has never faced somebody like me.
“Geoff Neal has fought guys that are long and tall, and he’s lost to all three of them. He lost to (Neil) Magny, he lost to ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson), he lost to Shavkat. And I fight very differently to all three of them. I’m younger, I’m faster, I’m fitter, I’m more dynamic.”
Machado Garry’s two most recent finishes came in Round 3 over Song Kenan and Round 1 against Daniel Rodriguez. He envisions knocking Neal out midway through the fight.
“I’m going to be so far out that his little short arse couldn’t hit me,” Machado Garry continued. “I’m going to be kicking him from every single angle, and I’m going to show him that I am just that much better than everybody he’s ever faced. The way I move, the way I can set you up is just different. And look, I plan on putting him to sleep in the second round.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
