Shortly after the pair appeared to agree to a fight on social media, UFC welterweights Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov have a date penciled in.
Neal and Rakhmonov are expected to face off at the first UFC event of 2023, on January 14. ESPN was first to report news of the booking, noting that it will be a three-round contest.
Geoff Neal (15-4) has won his last two bouts, taking out a pair of top welterweights in Vicente Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio. The Luque win, his post recent, saw “Handz of Steel” picking up a Performance of the Night bonus for his knockout finish.
Rakhmonov (16-0) is undefeated in both the UFC and as a professional. The 27-year old Kazakh has won two straight Performance of the Night bonuses of his own, and enters the bout with Neal off a finish of Neil Magny. Through his 16 pro fights and wins, Shavkat Rakhmonov also boasts a 100% finish rate.
Both fighters sit in the top 10 of the UFC’s welterweight division, with Neal at #6 and Rakhmonov in the #10 spot.
The UFC’s January 14, 2023 Fight Night card does not have a location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. The following pairings have been reported for the event:
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Jeff Molina vs. Jimmy Flick
- Allan Nascimento vs. Carlos Hernandez
- Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal
