Midnight Mania! UFC 298’s Ian Garry breaks down dream match up vs. Khamzat: ‘He gets tired pretty quick, I don’t’

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Undefeated Irish talent Ian Garry is just a handful of hours away from the toughest test of his pro career opposite Geoff Neal tomorrow night (Sat. Feb. 17, 2024) on the main card of UFC 298 inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It’s a big step up in competition for Garry, a real chance to advance up into the Top 10, and there’s also some bad blood given Garry’s ugly trash talk months ago when the bout was first booked.

It’s a lot for “The Future” to focus on, but that doesn’t mean Garry isn’t looking ahead. In a recent interview with Sporting Post, Garry revealed Khamzat Chimaev as his dream opponent.

“The dream opponent would be me versus Khamzat Chimaev,” Garry explained (via LowKickMMA). “Because everyone talks about him like he’s this badman and this boogeyman, but in time I’m going get a chance to lay hands on him. If he’s the baddest man that everyone is afraid of I’m going to show the world what’s up.”

“He’d be my dream opponent in Ireland. I want that f—king wolf. I want that badman. I want to be the baddest man on Earth, and everyone considers it to be him at the moment, but let me punch the mouth off him and we’ll see what’s up.”

Historically, Chimaev has bounced between both Welterweight and Middleweight, but a disastrous weight cut back at UFC 279 may have permanently forced him to 185 pounds. So, while the two are currently separated by a weight class, Garry doesn’t see it as an issue. He’s talked about jumping to Middleweight to settle a grudge with Sean Strickland, and Garry also believes he has the size to take on “Borz.”

Plus, unlike the Chechen, Garry doesn’t get tired.

“What’s he gonna do? Take me down? great bring it on, lets go, bring it on, let’s go,” Garry continued. “I’m bigger than he is, I’m 6’3″, I’m taller, longer, faster than he is. Amazing wrestling, he gets tired though. He gets tired pretty quick, I don’t. The truth is, so what if he takes me down, I’d elbow the skull off of him.”

We’ll have to first see how Garry does opposite “Hands of Steel,” but it could be an intriguing Middleweight match up somewhere down the line.

Insomnia

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A double leg on ice!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Adding insult AND injury to the initial injury.

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Spinning off the left hook has always been my favorite way to throw a wheel kick.

Random Land

Palms sweating.

Midnight Music: Indie, 2003

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

LIVE! Watch UFC 298 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

WORLD FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Sat., Feb. 17, 2024, for the first time in more than two years with its latest pay-per-view (PPV) show. In the ESPN+-streamed PPV main event, reigning Featherweight roost-ruler, Alexander Volkanovski, will defend his 145-pound strap against undefeated surging Spanish contender, Ilia Topuria. In addition, former Middleweight kingpin, Robert Whittaker, will finally square off with mercurial mauler, Paulo Costa, in UFC 298’s co-feature. UFC 298 will also feature the returns of Ian Garry, Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo, Merab Dvalishvili and so much more!

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

• STREAM UFC 298