An injury to Geoff Neal has seen his fight with Carlos Prates pulled from next month’s UFC 314.
And despite fans looking forward to the high-profile welterweight match-up, it appears the UFC will be moving in another direction with Prates.
Promotion officials announced the news during Saturday night’s UFC Mexico City broadcast, stating the fight was off UFC 314 entirely, with no new opponent being sought. The card is two weeks away.
They also suggested there would be news as to what comes next for Prates in the coming weeks, without mentioning Geoff Neal. That suggests Carlos Prates might have a new opponent moving forward. A top 15 fighter at 170lbs, Brazil’s Prates headlined his first UFC card last November, a Fight Night that saw him defeat Neil Magny.
It would not be surprising to see Prates (21-6) earn another main event slot on a Fight Night card again, if the fight with Neal is on the backburner for now. Geoff Neal (16-6) last fought in October, earning a win over Rafael dos Anjos.
UFC 314 takes place in Miami, Florida on April 12, 2025 with a featherweight title fight headlining. That bout sees Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes facing off for the championship vacated by Ilia Topuria, who is making the move to lightweight permanently.
Michael Chandler also faces Paddy “The Paddy” Pimblett at the event.
