The anticipated matchup between UFC welterweight contenders Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov is back on the books.
After their original date of Jan. 14 was scratched due to Neal (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) suffering an injury, the clash with Rakhmonov (16-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will now happen at UFC 285, which takes place March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the new date to MMA Junkie on Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. UFC broadcast partner ESPN first reported the news.
Neal, 32, rides a two-fight winning streak into the matchup. In August, he largely dominated Vicente Luque en route to a third-round TKO victory. His other key UFC victories include Belal Muhammad, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Niko Price, and Mike Perry.
Rakhmonov, 27, widely is regarded as one of the welterweight division’s top rising talents. As a result, he and his team have expressed frustration with finding opponents. Rakhmonov has four finishes in as many UFC appearances. The most recent was a submission of perennial contender Neil Magny in June.
The latest UFC 285 lineup now includes:
- Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis
- Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
- Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
- Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
- Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
- Julio Arce vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
- Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Julian Marquez
- Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.
