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As long as he’s at his best, Geoff Neal believes Shavkat Rakhmanov could be an easy opponent to beat.
‘Handz of Steel’ has won his last two fights against Santiago Ponzinibbio and Vicente Luque. Neal’s destruction of Luque in August has led the Fortis MMA fighter to a welterweight showdown against Rakhmanov in January 2023. The 32-year-old appeared on the World MMA Awards’ red carpet for an interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn. He had this to say about his upcoming opponent:
“I really feel like he’s good everywhere. I haven’t seen anything spectacular that he does. As long as my cardio is there, and I’m focused mentally, I think I will take the win easy.”
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Neal is currently ranked number seven, while Rakhmanov is ranked number ten. ‘Handz of Steel’ made a statement in his last fight, but he still has a lot to prove before earning a title shot. With a win against ‘Nomad,’ the Texas native could be one or two wins away from a UFC world championship fight.
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Watch Geoff Neal's interview with MMA Junkie below:
Geoff Neal predicts what’s next if he beats Shavkat Rakhmanov
Shavkat Rakhmanov is the dark horse of the welterweight division. Holding a record of 16-0, ‘Nomad’ has won all of his fights inside the distance, including four in the UFC. If Geoff Neal gives Rakhmanov his first loss, he could set himself up for a number-one contender fight. During the same interview with MMA Junkie, Neal had this to say about the stakes of winning on January 14:
“I really feel like if I get through this fight, and I take him out in the first round, I really feel like I’ll be in the title contention. Maybe have a contender fight or something. I really feel like I deserve it at this point. I’m taking out someone that nobody wants to fight. So, I feel like I would deserve a title shot after that.”
Neal made his UFC debut after winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. The Fortis MMA fighter has built a promotional record of 7-2 with wins against Belal Muhammad, Niko Price, Mike Perry, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Vicente Luque. Now that he’s recovered from some scary health issues, ‘Handz of Steel’ is starting to evolve into a potential world champion.
