Undefeated Rakhmonov takes on Geoff Neal at UFC 285! Check out our UFC odds series for our Neal-Rakhmonov prediction and pick.
Neal will be more than willing to stand and bang with him, so look for Rakhmonov to be creative in keeping distance and using his kicks against Neal’s front leg. This fight will still be close, but the weight miss for Neal is worrisome when considering a possible injury he’s dealing with. Nevertheless, Neal will have a real advantage on the feet with his crisp striking and heavy hands. Neal will have a willing dance partner in the stand-up with Rakhmonov. Neal will be at his biggest disadvantage in the wrestling. If he chooses to stand in the pocket and bang with Neal, he might get hit with a few shots and possibly rocked. Many are speculating that Geoff Neal is coming in to this fight heavy as a strategic tactic to outweigh Rakhmonov in the grappling. After making a name for himself on DWCS, Neal went on to win his first five consecutive fights in the UFC by using his heavy hands. However, for a fighter in Neal that rarely misses weight, a miss like this could be indicative of a lingering injury or illness. Most notably, the lethal fighter from Kazakhstan has finished all 16 of his fights, half by knockout and half by submission with nine of those being in the first round. Neal came in heavy by five pounds and will forfeit 30% of his purse. The tension of the UFC 285 Main Card will be as high as ever when we take a look at this upcoming bout between ranked fighters in the Welterweight (170 lb) Division.
An all-out slugfest between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal at UFC 285 ended with a submission.
Jessica Penne via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:14](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-video-tabatha-ricci-taps-jessica-penne-start-baby-shark-era%E2%80%9D) [Farid Basharat def. Julian Marquez via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:12](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-video-marc-andre-barriault-vs-julian-marquez-tko%E2%80%9D) [Ian Garry def. Song Kenan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:22](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-ian-garry-tko-win-conor-mcgregor-celebration%E2%80%9D) [Cameron Saaiman def. Esteban Ribovics via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) Derek Brunson via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 4:59](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-results-derek-brunson-vs-dricus-du-plessis-towel-throw-ko%E2%80%9D) [Amanda Ribas def. Da’Mon Blackshear via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) [Loik Radzhabov def. Trevin Jones via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-results-cody-garbrandt-practices-patience-in-unanimous-decision-win-over-trevin-jones%E2%80%9D) [Dricus Du Plessis def. Mana Martinez via majority decision (29-26, 29-27, 28-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) [Tabatha Ricci def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) [Marc-Andre Barriault def. Jamie Pickett via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:54](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-results-bo-nickal-vs-jamie-pickett-debut-ncaa-wrestling) [Cody Garbrandt def. The catchweight bout (Neal missed the welterweight limit) was part of the main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite Neal’s miss on the scales, Rakhmonov appeared to be the visibly bigger fighter.
Despite the weight cutting issues and the dominant fighter in front of him, Neal put up a tremendous fight, catching Rakhmonov with several clean punches and ...
While Neal was willing to exchange strikes with Rakhmonov, it was Rakhmonov who got the best of most of those trades. Rakhmonov bounced back from being stumbled in that final round to maul Neal along the cage. Rakhmonov justified the hype, battling through tough spots before scoring a third-round submission to run his perfect record to 17-0.
UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane took place March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Welterweight contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0) and Geoff Neal (15-5) ...
Neal lands a left. Rakhmonov grabs a choke from the side!!!!! Like a standing bulldog choke and Rakhmonov gets the tap with short time!!!!!!! We restart and Rakhmonov lands a big knee! Neal lands a 2-3! And we’re back to a clinch, where Rakhmonov is kneeing the body. And corralling Neal to the fence. Back in space and Rakhmonov lands a nice right hand over the guard. Head kick from Rakhmonov glances and Neal is hurt! Rakhmonov tries a trip but Neal defends. Neal lands a left hand. Rakhmonov lands a kick.
An old clip of Shavkat Rakhmonov training with Khabib Nurmagomedov has left MMA fans online stunned.
Impressively, this win also helped him maintain his hundred percent finish record in his seventeen fights. Their conditioning was also on display as both were able to maintain their pace throughout the fight. Despite facing an experienced fighter, the 28-year-old was able to stand toe to toe with Neil. His efforts and fighting abilities were also clearly evident during his bout against Geoff Neil. [March 5, 2023] It appeared as if the Russian was sharing the intricacies of mixing up wrestling and striking together.
On the main card of UFC 285, we saw a massive showdown in the welterweight division. Undefeated top prospect Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0) faced his.
Knee to the body from Rakhmonov now. Knee to the body from Rakhmonov and they break. Big knee to the body again from Rakhmonov. Knee to the body on the break from Rakhmonov. Knee to the body from Rakhmonov. Clinch from Rakhmonov and then he lands a knee to the body. Knee to the body from Rakhmonov and they clinch. Body kick and a long jab from Rakhmonov lands. Big uppercuts from Rakhmonov and then Neal lands back. High kick attempt from Rakhmonov and Neal tries to answer. Nice right hand from Neal and a body kick from Rakhmonov. Right hand from Rakhmonov and a body kick.
Shavkat Rakhmonov calls for a welterweight title shot following his win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.