Ian Machado Garry didn’t get the opponent he was looking for but the Dubliner could be poised to move into the top ten UFC welterweight rankings if he wins his next fight.

Garry, who scored a first-round finish of Daniel Rodriguez in his last fight a month ago, will face the eighth-ranked Geoff Neal at UFC 292 in front of what should be a partisan crowd in Boston on August 19. News of the fight was first reported by RTE Sport. A win for the Irishman should usher him into the top ten rankings at 170-pounds.

The fight comes despite Garry outlining his desire to fight Neil Magny in his next bout, after he detailed plans of fighting a range of contenders as he works his way up the welterweight ladder. However, it seems as though the UFC matchmakers are seeking to expedite Garry’s ascent up the rankings by offering an opportunity to jump straight into the top ten.

Get Ready Boston 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/mHeACkjPIp

— “The Future” Ian Machado Garry (@iangarryMMA) June 14, 2023

Neal was last seen in the cage in March where he was submitted in the third round by another unbeaten fighter, Shavkat Rakhmanov, who is a training partner of Garry’s at Kill Cliff in Florida — the training centre which was formerly known as Sanford MMA.

The American fighter, 32, has scored impressive wins of his own against the likes of Belal Muhammad, Mike Perry, Santiago Ponzinibbio and, last August, a knockout victory against Vicente Luque.

The fight between Garry and Neal will take place at the TD Garden — the same venue at which Conor McGregor scored a second-round stoppage of Denis Siver in early 2015.

UFC 292 is expected to be headlined by a bantamweight world title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley.