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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Geoff Neal
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Takes tight decision at UFC 269
Neal defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC 269 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Credit Neal for figuring out a way to win in a fight in which he didn't look completely comfortable. Neal was the better man in a tight first round in which neither man could gain much separation. Ponzinibbio was the better man in Round 2, leading to Neal's coach Sayif Saud ripping into him in between rounds in hopes of seeing an uptick in activity in the final frame. He got his wish. Neal ate far too many leg kicks from Ponzinibbio, but he continued to push forward and that ended up being enough to get the judges' decision. Neal badly needed this one on the heels of back-to-back unanimous decision defeats to Neil Magny and Stephen Thompson, but it means little if he can't follow it up with another strong effort his next time out.
Credit Neal for figuring out a way to win in a fight in which he didn't look completely comfortable. Neal was the better man in a tight first round in which neither man could gain much separation. Ponzinibbio was the better man in Round 2, leading to Neal's coach Sayif Saud ripping into him in between rounds in hopes of seeing an uptick in activity in the final frame. He got his wish. Neal ate far too many leg kicks from Ponzinibbio, but he continued to push forward and that ended up being enough to get the judges' decision. Neal badly needed this one on the heels of back-to-back unanimous decision defeats to Neil Magny and Stephen Thompson, but it means little if he can't follow it up with another strong effort his next time out.
Fighting at UFC 269
Neal is scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio in a welterweight fight set for Dec. 11 at UFC 269, Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
There's no question the biggest matchup on the UFC 269 card will be the fight between Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal, but this bout should also gather decent attention as well. Neal has gone 0-1 this year and enter this bout after dropping his last two fights, against Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, both via unanimous decision. Neal owns a 13-4 record in his career and has gone 5-2 at the UFC level.
There's no question the biggest matchup on the UFC 269 card will be the fight between Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal, but this bout should also gather decent attention as well. Neal has gone 0-1 this year and enter this bout after dropping his last two fights, against Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, both via unanimous decision. Neal owns a 13-4 record in his career and has gone 5-2 at the UFC level.
Second straight defeat
Neal lost to Neil Magny via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 27-30) at UFC on ESPN 24 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Seemingly in decent position to rebound from his main event loss to Stephen Thompson last December, Neal was unable to get on track against one of the welterweight division's most consistent performers in Magny. Neal has proven to be a big-time power puncher, but there have been concerns regarding how he will generate offense if those power punches aren't landing, and those concerns have proven valid over his past couple fights. Neal's output drops when is struggling, and he was outworked by Magny here. The other major concern is that Neal has struggled against better competition over the course of his career. He will find himself in a must-win situation his next time out.
Seemingly in decent position to rebound from his main event loss to Stephen Thompson last December, Neal was unable to get on track against one of the welterweight division's most consistent performers in Magny. Neal has proven to be a big-time power puncher, but there have been concerns regarding how he will generate offense if those power punches aren't landing, and those concerns have proven valid over his past couple fights. Neal's output drops when is struggling, and he was outworked by Magny here. The other major concern is that Neal has struggled against better competition over the course of his career. He will find himself in a must-win situation his next time out.
Next fight coming May 8
Neal is set to take on Neil Magny in a welterweight fight at UFC Fight Night on May 8, Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Neal and Magny are both coming off recent losses. It was Neal's first loss at the UFC level, while Magny's defeat broke a three-fight winning streak, so both fighters will be looking to get right come May. This is a fight that's long been coming, given that Neal and Magny were initially set to face off August of 2020 before a health scare derailed things.
Neal and Magny are both coming off recent losses. It was Neal's first loss at the UFC level, while Magny's defeat broke a three-fight winning streak, so both fighters will be looking to get right come May. This is a fight that's long been coming, given that Neal and Magny were initially set to face off August of 2020 before a health scare derailed things.
Overwhelmed by Stephen Thompson
Neal lost to Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision (45-50, 45-50, 45-50) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
A five-rounder against one of the best kickboxers in MMA history was simply too much for Neal to overcome. Blessed with a significant power advantage over Thompson, Neal was simply unable to make up for the massive gap in technical skill between the two men. Neal got off second in virtually all the striking exchanges between the two. He also had all sorts of difficulty stringing together combinations. Every time Neal returned fire, Wonderboy was seemingly gone. Neal is unquestionably talented, but this appeared to be a bad matchup for him on paper, and it played out that way inside the Octagon, as well. The loss is Neal's first in his first half-dozen UFC bouts.
A five-rounder against one of the best kickboxers in MMA history was simply too much for Neal to overcome. Blessed with a significant power advantage over Thompson, Neal was simply unable to make up for the massive gap in technical skill between the two men. Neal got off second in virtually all the striking exchanges between the two. He also had all sorts of difficulty stringing together combinations. Every time Neal returned fire, Wonderboy was seemingly gone. Neal is unquestionably talented, but this appeared to be a bad matchup for him on paper, and it played out that way inside the Octagon, as well. The loss is Neal's first in his first half-dozen UFC bouts.