WATCH: “He is soft for that” – Fans PUZZLED after Geoff Neal wishes ‘Valentine’s Day’ to Ian Garry despite rival wearing mugshot on T-Shirt

Unexpected Valentine's Day wishes were exchanged between UFC fighters Ian Garry and Geoff Neal, highlighting a moment of respect amidst rivalry as they prepare for their anticipated match at UFC 298.

WATCH: “He is soft for that” – Fans PUZZLED after Geoff Neal wishes ‘Valentine’s Day’ to Ian Garry despite rival wearing mugshot on T-Shirt

Ian Garry and Geoff Neal exchange Valentine's Day wishes (Image via: X)

Valentine’s Day made bitter rivals turn friends in the UFC 298 fight week. Geoff Neal will fight Ian Garry at UFC 298, and that did not stop him from wishing his rival Happy Valentine’s Day. The UFC had earlier scheduled Neal vs Garry for UFC 292, only for Neal to withdraw due to injury. However, the UFC rescheduled the bout after Garry had to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Vicente Luque.

Garry and Neal met each other in the lobby of the fighter hotel of UFC 298. The moment Neal saw Garry, he wished Valentine’s Day to his opponent. Garry responded the same way, as he had his son on his shoulder. Garry’s son, Leo, fist-bumped Neal, much to the surprise of the American fighter. After the brief interaction, the two went their separate ways.

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The interaction surprised the MMA community. Garry had made a T-shirt with a mugshot of Neal after announcing their fight at UFC 292. This was a dig at Neal’s trouble with the law. The police had apprehended Neal days before his fight against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269.

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Ian Garry received severe criticism from the UFC community for the mug-shot T-shirt. Moreover, the criticism further increased after his remarks about Neil Magny at UFC 292. The criticism against Garry skyrocketed after fans and fighters began criticizing his familial relationship.

Fight fans react to unexpected Valentine’s Day interaction between Ian Garry and Geoff Neal

Fight fans did not expect Ian Garry and Geoff Neal to have a cordial interaction preluding UFC 298. This was due to Garry’s penchant to trash-talk his opponents before fights. Nonetheless, fight fans cannot take this cordial interaction as a precursor of what is to come.

Geoff Neal wishes Valentine's Day to Ian Garry
Geoff Neal wishes Valentine’s Day to Ian Garry (Image via: X)

The surprise of the fight fans was evident in their social media reaction to the meeting between the duo. See below how fight fans reacted to the interaction between Neal and Garry.

https://TWITTER.com/RSobchek/status/1758100653744771564?s=20
https://TWITTER.com/TalmboutTruggss/status/1758112935103074797?s=20

Garry is undefeated in professional MMA. He has already predicted that he will become a two-division champion in the UFC like his role model, Conor McGregor. However, he has recently garnered negative publicity with fans and fighters against him.

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