Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Geoff Neal has been rebooked for UFC 285

The welterweight showdown between Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov has been rescheduled.

The top ten welterweights were supposed to fight in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 67. Unfortunately, the MMA community will have to wait a little longer to see these top 170-pound contenders fight. ESPN MMA reporter Brett Okamoto broke the news on Twitter by saying:

“Welterweight fight between Geoff Neal (@handzofsteelmma) and Shavkat Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) that was booked for Jan. 14 has been rebooked for UFC 285 on March 4, per sources.”

UFC Vegas 67 is the first UFC event of 2023, which Kelvin Gastelum and Nassourdine Imavov will headline on January 14. The co-main event will now feature a featherweight matchup between Dan Ige and Damon Jackson.

Neal vs Rakhmonov has been pushed back to UFC 285 in March. The pay-per-view currently doesn’t have a main event, but the ranked welterweights join the main card with Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis and Viviane Araujo vs Amanda Ribas.

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Geoff Neal reveals why his fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov was rebooked

There were rumors about Shavkat Rakhmonov fighting a different welterweight after Geoff Neal was forced to pull out. Although it’s unclear if anyone was offered the fight against Rakhmonov, the two-week notice was too short to make anything happen. ‘Nomad’ voiced his frustration on Twitter by saying:

“Apparently @handzofsteelmma is all talk”

Neal is not the type of fighter to avoid any opponent. He responded on Twitter by saying:

“Didn't know getting injured means I'm all talk. Mf let's re-book it.”

Rakhmonov has emerged as a dark horse in the welterweight division. The 28-year-old holds a pro-MMA record of 16-0, with all his wins inside the distance. ‘Nomad’ made his UFC debut in 2020, beating Alex Oliveira, Michel Prazeres, Carlston Harris, and Neil Magny. He is currently the number ten ranked UFC welterweight.

Meanwhile, Neal is the number seven ranked UFC welterweight. The 32-year-old won his first five promotional fights before losing momentum with consecutive losses against Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny. Since then, ‘Handz of Steel’ put the entire division on notice by beating Santiago Ponzinibbio by split decision and then decimating Vicente Luque.

At UFC 285, one of these ranked welterweights will take another step towards a title shot.