Boxing Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal re-booked for UFC 285

[James]

MMA Fighting confirmed with sources with knowledge of the matchup that Rakhmonov (16-0) and Neal (15-4) are set to fight at UFC 285 in Las Vegas on March 4. The welterweight contenders were originally scheduled to fight at UFC Vegas 67 on Jan. 14, but Neal was forced to withdraw from that date due to an injury.

The new booking was first reported by ESPN.

This is great news for both fighters, who enter 2023 on win streaks and welterweight title fight aspirations. Rakhmonov is currently No. 8 at 170 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while Neal sits at No. 10.

Rakhmonov is unbeaten in 16 pro bouts, including four UFC appearances in which none of his opponents have made it past the second round. The Kazakh contender most recently defeated veteran Neil Magny via submission this past June.

Neal, 7-2 in the UFC, is coming off of back-to-back wins over Vicente Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio. After narrowly edging out a win over Ponzinibbio via split decision in December 2021, Neal closed out his lone appearance of 2022 in emphatic fashion, knocking Vicente Luque out in Round 3 of their fight at UFC Vegas 59.