Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal went blow-for-blow and toe-to-toe at UFC 285, but ultimately a standing submission ended the slugfest.
To conclude a back-and-forth battle that saw both men stunned, Rakhmonov (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) submitted Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) with a standing rear-naked choke at the 4:17 mark of Round 3. The catchweight bout (Neal missed the welterweight limit) was part of the main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In the opening round, Rakhmonov and Neal both landed damaging shots. For Rakhmonov, a clattering head kick caused Neal to back pedal. Later in the round, Neal landed a hard punching combination.
Despite Neal’s miss on the scales, Rakhmonov appeared to be the visibly bigger fighter. Rakhmonov kept his hands low as he dipped and dodged. Rakhmonov continued to land with better quality and quantity. Neal remained dangerous and landed punishing boxing combinations.
In Round 3, Neal was bloodied and tired but continued to slug it out with Rakhmonov, much to the delight of a packed Las Vegas crowd that included celebrities like Tom Brady, Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Wahlberg.
Rakhmonov tied Neal up and then threw an onslaught attack of his own. Knees to the body nearly folded up Neal but he remained on his feet. Rakhmonov switched to the back in the clinch and snatched Neal’s neck. Neal tried to fight the choke, which didn’t have hooks in, but his consciousness faded as Rakhmonov squeezed. Neal tapped before he crumpled to the canvas.
RAKHMONOV STILL UNDEFEATED 🥶
STREAM #UFC285 NOW ▶️ https://t.co/pDVffDa677 pic.twitter.com/2FXVCxk4AQ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 5, 2023
"I always wanted one of these."@joerogan got a victory gift from Rakhmonov 🎁 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/RkoF7qSApT
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 5, 2023
With the win, Rakhmonov remains undefeated and racks up his fifth UFC victory. With the loss, Neal’s two-fight winning streak ends.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 285 results include:
- Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Geoff Neal via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:17
- Mateusz Gamrot def. Jalin Turner via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:54
- Cody Garbrandt def. Trevin Jones via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Derek Brunson via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 4:59
- Amanda Ribas def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
- Marc-Andre Barriault def. Julian Marquez via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:12
- Ian Garry def. Song Kenan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:22
- Cameron Saaiman def. Mana Martinez via majority decision (29-26, 29-27, 28-28)
- Tabatha Ricci def. Jessica Penne via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:14
- Farid Basharat def. Da’Mon Blackshear via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Loik Radzhabov def. Esteban Ribovics via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.
