Shavkat Rakhmonov got his wish to fight Geoff Neal granted, and fans are beyond excited.
Undefeated Rakhmonov has been shooting his shot for months, trying to get a fight with Neal with repeated callouts. Finally, he got a response from the number six ranked contender, showing serious interest in the bout, and all that was left was to put pen to paper.
Sure enough, it seems both men are prepared to do just that, according to recent reports. It looks like they are set to throw down in the Octagon on January 14th, in a Fight Night that will kick off the UFC‘s 2023 schedule, and currently expected to be headlined by Kelvin Gastelum vs Nassourdine Imavov.
“Yooo. This is a good one, here. Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov is verbally agreed for Jan. 14, per sources. Three round fight between Nos. 6 and 10 in the welterweight division. Early predictions on this one?” ESPN’s Brett Okamoto wrote.
Twitter Reacts To Rakhmonov vs Neal
With the fight between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal being such a highly anticipated one, the Twitter world was abuzz with fans reacting with excitement to the announcement. Several users would post to share their reactions to how great it appears this fight will turn out to be, while others question why it was not gifted main event status.
“Shavkat’s last fight before he’s in title contention. You’re telling me Gastelum vs. Imavov is headlining over this?” Caposa wrote.
“Geoff Neal is a gangster for taking this fight. Hespect,” writes Alex Behunin.
“What a scrap, two dark horses at welterweight,” one user wrote.
“Shavkat is not gonna steamroll Geoff Neal if you’ve seen the two of them fight you know this. I reckon this will be a war,” another user wrote.
“That’s a banger,” says Kelvin Gastelum, who is set to headline the event.
“Shame they couldn’t squeeze in another Rakhmonov fight in 2022, but good to start the new year off with a bout like this,” Luke Thomas said.
With Shavkat Rakhmonov being one of the most hyped prospects in the sport today, and Geoff Neal riding a two-fight streak of his own, there is no telling how this fight will play out. Either way, it seems that fans are quite excited to watch it happen.
Do you think Shavkat Rakhmonov or Geoff Neal will be victorious on January 14th?