Geoff Neal will be taking on fellow welterweight contender Neil Magny this Saturday night at UFC Vegas 26. Neil Magny is currently ranked No. 9 in the welterweight division, while Geoff Neal is ranked at No. 10. So, the winner of the bout this weekend could be fighting someone inside the top five in their next fight.
Geoff Neal (13-3)
Eight of Geoff Neal’s 13 wins are by knockout, and he has only been knocked out once in his career. That one knockout loss was against Kevin Holland in 2017. He also has two submission wins on his record meaning he has only been to a decision four times in his professional career. Geoff Neal is 5-1 in the UFC with four of those five wins being finishes. His one UFC loss was a decision to Stephen Thompson in his last fight. Neal has notable wins over Ty Flores, Brian Camozzi, Frank Camacho, Belal Muhammad, Niko Price, and Mike Perry.
Geoff Neal is a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has power in his hands. He has knockouts over guys with great chins like Mike Perry and Niko Price. He will be giving up two inches in height and two inches of reach against Magny. Therefore he will have to find a way to get on the inside so he can land some power against Magny.
Neil Magny (24-8)
Magny will be coming into UFC Vegas 26 with 14 of his 24 wins coming by decision. Although he is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, he has been submitted in four of his eight losses. He has been fighting in the UFC since 2013 and has racked up a record of 17-7 since his debut. Magny has notable wins over guys like Tim Means, Erik Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, Johny Hendricks, and Carlos Condit.
He was knocked out by Santiago Ponzinbbio in 2018 and then took a two-year layoff. When he returned, he made significant improvements in his striking. He is 3-1 since returning to the UFC with decision wins over Li Jingliang, Anthony Rocco Martin, and Robbie Lawler. Magny lost his last fight to Michael Chiesa in January of 2021.
Neil Magny is a great wrestler, and over the last year and a half, has made significant improvements in his striking. His improvements show most in his ability to counterstrike and keep his opponent on the outside of his strikes. That should come in handy for this fight since he has a significant size advantage over Neal.
UFC Vegas 26 Fight Card:
Main Card:
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson
- Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono
- Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Maurice Greene
- Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie
- Amanda Ribas vs. Angela Hill
Preliminary Card:
- Ben Rothwell vs. Phillipe Lins
- Phil Hawes vs. Kyle Daukaus
- L’udovit Klein vs. Michael Trizano
- Ryan Benoit vs. Zarrukh Adashev
- Jun Yong Park vs. Tafon Nchukwi
- Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris
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