Ian Machado Garry was satisfied with the result of UFC 297’s main event.

After a rather dramatic build-up outside the octagon to the first middleweight title fight of 2024, Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis — legally — came to blows this past Saturday night in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ultimately, Strickland saw his title reign conclude before it truly got going, as he dropped a hard-fought split decision loss to Du Plessis.

The previous two months saw Strickland draw attention for his verbal assaults, which is nothing new for the outspoken 185-pound star. One of the newly developed enemies he made was the rising 13-0 welterweight contender Garry, whom Strickland targeted for his relationship with his wife Layla Anna-Lee. Garry, 26, has since fired back at Strickland in a couple of different facets, but after watching the recent title fight play out, he was quite happy as he shared his reaction on social media yesterday.

“I hope Sean gets sparked unconscious,” Garry said in an X video as he watched the fight (h/t MMA Mania). “There is no way I would have ever bet against Du Plessis losing this fight considering he mauled Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland isn’t half the fighter Robert Whittaker is.

“Just sloppy boxing. Swinging. Look at this. The f***** state of this. Zero technique, just slugging it out now. Oh my God, I feel like I’m watching two amateurs fight. Oh my God (laughs). Oh, my dear Jesus Christ. If I ever have a fight like that, please tell me to retire.”

Whether or not you thought the title tilt was the prettiest in terms of technique, it was close on the judges’ scorecards. Du Plessis earned the nod with two 48-47 cards to Strickland’s one with the third round as the swing round.

Before Garry ever gets his hands on Strickland, he’ll keep working his way through the welterweight division. Next on deck is a rebooked Geoff Neal matchup at UFC 298 next month for Garry, but he’s certainly excited by the prospect of battling the now-former middleweight champion.

“F*** you, Sean Strickland,” Garry said. “Now that fight’s even more available.”

---

TOP STORIES

Aftermath. UFC 297: 7 biggest takeaways from UFC’s first pay-per-view of the year

Controversy. Sean Strickland blames head butt for ugly cut in UFC 297 main event, Dricus du Plessis responds

Rivals. Israel Adesanya responds to Dricus du Plessis: ‘Our paths are destined to cross again’

Scoring. Dana White reveals he had Sean Strickland winning at UFC 297, but doesn’t plan immediate rematch

Turnaround. Dricus du Plessis: Israel Adesanya at UFC 300 ‘sounds amazing,’ scoffs at Khamzat Chimaev

GOAT. Amanda Nunes hints at potential comeback: ‘I still feel like a champion, so we’ll see’

Buzz. ‘Drake gotta stop betting on MMA‘: Fighters react to Dricus du Plessis’ win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297

Disappointment. ‘That was a title fight?’: Fighters react to Raquel Pennington’s UFC 297 win over Mayra Bueno Silva

Legend. Frankie Edgar announced as first 2024 UFC Hall of Fame inductee

Beef. Raquel Pennington wants to settle score with Julianna Peña: ‘I’ve been waiting for that fight for 13 years’

$$$. UFC 297 bonuses: Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland earn ‘Fight of the Night’ for five-round battle

---

VIDEO STEW

UFC 297 Post Show.

On To the Next One.

UFC 297 Post-Fight Scrums.

The Answer.

RIZIN Confessions 141.

Surprising Sage.

37-second flashback.

---

MORNING MUSIC

---

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Update.

Gangster.

Sadness.

Subs.

Lol.

Poster.

Thumped her.

Ouch.

Spice.

Nicky.

Nasty.

Weili plus GSP.

Jiri.

Connections.

History.

In the desert.

Dumper.

---

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dan Ige (17-7) vs. Andre Fili (23-10); UFC Vegas 86, Feb. 10

Rinya Nakamura (8-0) vs. Carlos Vera (11-3); UFC 298, February 17

Anthony Hernandez (11-2) vs. Roman Kopylov (12-2); UFC 298, Feb. 17

Julia Polastri (12-3) vs. Josefine Knutsson (7-0); UFC Vegas 87, March 2

Chad Anheliger (12-7) vs. Charalampos Grigoriou (8-3); UFC Vegas 88, March 16

Billy Quarantillo (18-5) vs. Gabriel Miranda (17-6); UFC Vegas 89, March 23

Ibo Aslan (12-1) vs. Anton Turkalj (8-3); UFC Atlantic City, March 30

Cesar Almeida (4-0) vs. Josh Fremd (11-5); UFC Vegas 90, April 6

Cynthia Calvillo (9-6-1) vs. Piera Rodriguez (9-1); UFC Vegas 90, April 6

James Llontop (14-2) vs. Lando Vannata (12-7-2); UFC Fight Night, April 27

Maheshate Hayisaer (9-3) vs. Anshul Jubli (7-1); UFC Fight Night, April 27

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

Whether intentional or not, Garry knows how to play the villain/”bad guy,” man.

Happy Monday. Thanks for reading!

---

POLL POSITION

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 53% of 411 total votes answered "No" when asked, "Do you believe UFC Saudi Arabia will get a title fight?"

Thursday: 56% of 469 total votes answered "Yes" when asked, "Do you want to see Tom Aspinall vs. Alex Pereira added to UFC 300?"

Wednesday: 46% of 407 total votes answered "Dricus Du Plessis and Mayra Bueno Silva" when asked, "Who wins this weekend?" Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland via split decision in UFC 297's main event. Raquel Pennington defeated Bueno Silva via unanimous decision in UFC 297's co-main event.

Tuesday: 56% of 463 total votes answered "Ilia Topuria" when asked, "Who does Sean O’Malley have a better chance of beating?"

Monday: 57% of 247 total votes answered "Worse" when asked, "Does the idea of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at middleweight make a matchup between the two better or worse than it would be at light or welterweight?"

Today’s exit poll:

---

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.