Geoff Neal

Overview

Five straight UFC wins to open his run, then a 3-6 stretch that has ended in the first round twice. Geoff Neal is a Welterweight out of Fortis MMA, and his 8-6 UFC record tells the story of a fighter whose power has beaten good opponents and whose losses have mostly come against the tier above.

He debuted in 2018 and carries five of his six finishes by KO/TKO, plus one submission. Three of his wins ended in the first round. He enters his next fight on a two-fight losing streak.

UFC Career

Neal came to the UFC after a first-round TKO of Chase Waldon on Dana White's Contender Series in 2017, a professional win that sits outside the UFC record. His debut in February 2018 was a first-round submission of Brian Camozzi, followed by a second-round TKO of Frank Camacho at UFC 228.

A unanimous decision over Belal Muhammad came next, then second-round stoppages of Niko Price and, in his fifth straight win, a first-round finish of Mike Perry at UFC 245 in 1:30.

That run ended in his first main event. He lost a five-round unanimous decision to Stephen Thompson, and a unanimous decision to Neil Magny followed. He answered with a split decision over Santiago Ponzinibbio and a third-round TKO of Vicente Luque, which our model rates as a win over an elite opponent.

The next step up was harder. Shavkat Rakhmonov submitted him in round 3, and Ian Machado Garry beat him by split decision. A 1:30 first-round TKO of Rafael Dos Anjos briefly steadied things, but Carlos Prates stopped him with one second left in round 1, and Uroš Medić did it at 1:19 of the first.

Strong at the top, vulnerable early at the bottom.

Fighting Style

Geoff Neal is a busy striker who lands often and connects accurately. He is also hard to hit cleanly, though he does absorb more than most, so his fights tend to be exchanges.

He is a striker, not a grappler. He rarely shoots for takedowns, attempts few submissions, and is very hard to take down. He has one submission win in the UFC and one submission loss.

Most of his wins end early. Five of his eight UFC wins came by knockout or TKO, and six of them were finishes. Three came in the first round and two in the second, with one in the third.

Notable Wins

• Vicente Luque — KO/TKO, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill (2022)
• Mike Perry — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC 245 (2019)
• Niko Price — KO/TKO, round 2, UFC 240 (2019)
• Rafael Dos Anjos — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC 308 (2024)

Quick Facts

• Division: Welterweight
• UFC record: 8-6
• Professional record (all promotions): 16-8-0
• UFC debut: 2018
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / reach: 5'11" / 75"
• Team: Fortis MMA
• Born: Austin, TX, United States