The Peoples Main Event: Shavkat Rakhmonov Vs. Geoff Neal

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal. Tonight is the night for the big UFC 285 pay-per-view. The card is stacked from bottom to top with the likes of Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane, Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso, and the highly anticipated debut of undefeated Bo Nickal. But, the people’s main event is going down when Shavkat Rakhmonov takes on Geoff Neal.

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal

Shavkat Rakhmonov is on a role with an impressive 16-0 record. Eight of his wins come by way of knockout while the other eight wins coming by way of submission. With a 100% finish rate, the fans are buzzing about the prospect of Shavkat being a champion down the line. But tonight is his biggest test yet.

Geoff Neal is a 15-4 fighter, but don’t let those losses fool you. Nicknamed “Handz of Steel” for a reason, Neal has knocked out the likes of Mike Perry, Niko Price, and most recently Vicente Luque, who many thought Geoff wouldn’t get passed and he did with flying colors.

Shavkat is being built up as an unstoppable monster and with his resume, it’s easy to see why. But, the unstoppability is what excites Geoff Neal. He went on record during UFC’s media day to say that he wants to get in the cage and really see what all the hype is about. Neal also points out that Shavkat is a good fighter, but he’s beaten good fighters in the past and he’s not scared of him.

Neal also pointed out that he believes Shavkat Rakhmonov won’t be able to take him down and the fight will be forced to stay on the feet and that’s where Geoff believes he has the advantage. The thought of these two keeping it on their feet and throwing hands back and forth is a dream for many MMA fans because it’s clear that someone is going to sleep.

There’s also potential for one of these men to be a championship contender walking out of Saturday night. So, not only is this a fun fight for fans but stakes are also attached. Shavkat would be 17-0 if he picked up the win tonight and to deny him of a championship fight would be asinine. On the other hand, Geoff Neal derailing the hype train could prove he is worthy of a title shot.

This fight has all the makings of being the fight of the night, especially with both men saying they’re looking for the finish and Geoff going out of his way to say he sees himself putting Shavkat away in the first or second round.

The chills are starting to form, we’re mere hours away from the most stacked card thus far in 2023. Every fight has some exciting implications, but don’t sleep on Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov. Tune in, because we’re in for a treat and we could be staring at the next championship challenger.

UFC 285 goes down tonight with the early prelims kicking off at 5:30 est on ESPN+ and the main card at 10 pm est on Pay-Per-View. ITS TIME!

By: Brady Alexander

Also, read Jon Jones: Pound For Pound Best?