Uros Medic has scored the biggest win of his career and has most likely forced his way into the welterweight rankings, scoring a first-round knockout of Geoff Neal in the UFC Houston co-main event.
Medic eyed an early end to the fight, looking to use his speed to set up power shots. Medic appeared to be getting the better of Neal in the opening minute of the fight.
Medic landed a brutal combination, cracking Neal with a left hand and dropping him out cold for the win.
HE ONLY NEEDS ONE š@Urketaraketa with a vicious Round 1 KO for a massive ranked win!
Medic has now won three straight and four of his last five while retaining his 100 percent finish rate.
Medic called out Leon Edwards for a fight this summer.
Neal has now lost four of his last five. This is his second straight fight where he was knocked out in brutal fashion, following his loss to Carlos Prates at UFC 319.
UFC welterweight Geoff Neal has opened up about a five-year battle with drug and alcohol addiction, describing a stretch where he says he was āthereā but not truly present in his own life.
Neal shared the revelation during an interview with James Lynch on the Home of Fight YouTube channel ahead of his Feb. 21 bout in Houston against Uros Medic.
āI had a real issue for five years,ā Neal said. āRight around COVID, right when I got sepsis, I fell in the hole. This is my first time even opening up about it. I had a problem with addiction. Drugs and alcohol. It was rough.ā
āThe longest I was sober was like two weeksā
Neal said the cycle didnāt just impact his personal life ā it also bled into how he prepared to compete.
āWithin that five years, the longest I was sober was like two weeks,ā Neal said. āAnd those two weeks were usually before a fight. I would only slow down two weeks before the fight and Iām coming to the fights underprepared, out of shape.ā
Despite that, Neal said he managed to keep his footing in the division.
āItās crazy I stayed in the rankings the whole time,ā Neal said. āIt was rough. Five years is just ups and downs, just constant.ā
Not living ā just existing
When Neal described how addiction felt over time, he emphasized how it dulled everything outside of the moment-to-moment grind.
āIt really feels like those past five years, I wasnāt living,ā Neal said. āI was there but I wasnāt presentā¦ Now Iām actually living life. Iām actually experiencing again for the first time.ā
Neal also credited his wife for staying with him through it.
āThank God for my wife,ā Neal said. āMy wife was here with me through the whole time. She dealt with all the ups and downs.ā
Building a routine that protects sobriety
Neal said heās made major lifestyle changes to avoid putting himself in situations where he knows control can slip. That included cutting off certain relationships and avoiding certain places.
āI would still put myself in situations thatā¦ you know damn well youāre not going to be able to control yourself, so why are you putting yourself in that situation?ā Neal said. āI had to cut a lot of friends off. I had to stop going certain places, just kind of isolate myself in a sense.ā
He also pointed to changing his work environment as part of that shift.
āI canāt work at Moxyās no more,ā Neal said. āI recently went back to Texas Roadhouseā¦ Itās more like a family restaurantā¦ I got to know myself better than that.ā
Cold turkey and ā75 softā
Neal said a modified version of the ā75 Hardā challenge was a key reset point for him. He called his version ā75 soft,ā and said the essentials for him were a clean lifestyle ā especially no drugs or alcohol.
ā75 Hard was the first day I was sober,ā Neal said. āNow Iām pushing 100 now. Iām not keeping trackā¦ I want it to be a forever thing. I want it to be my lifestyle.ā
Neal added that alcohol now feels like something he canāt go back to.
āWhenever I even see liquor, I get sick to my stomach,ā Neal said. āI donāt think Iāll ever drink again. After my fight, Iām not going to pick up a bottle again. I think itās for the best for my family, for my kids, for my wife, for everybody, for my career.ā
Why he wanted a ālow energy fightā next
In the same interview, Neal explained why he didnāt want a Kevin Holland fight at this point, saying thereās too much ābeefā and outside noise tied to that matchup while heās trying to keep his life steady.
āI got a lot going on,ā Neal said. āIām trying to just have a low energy fightā¦ The less noise the better, because I donāt want to get stressed out and get triggered.ā
Neal said thatās part of why he appreciated the UFC lining up Medic next, and he believes the work heās put in will show on fight night.
āMy weightās been coming down,ā Neal said. āMy weightās great right nowā¦ Itās way better than it was for my past five fights. This weight cut should be a breeze.ā
As for the matchup, Neal predicted heāll finish Medic quickly.
āI feel like Iām gonna get it done in the first round,ā Neal said. āAnd if not, Iāll take it in the third round.ā
Carlos Prates just produced one of the most jaw-dropping knockouts of the year, if not recent MMA history, with his finish of Geoff Neal at UFC 319.
Neal came out with some aggression, looking to control the pace and come forward with pressure. He executed a few good shots, but focused more on single blows than combination. Prates looked to work over Neal’s legs with kicks. Prates’ pace picked up over the course of the second half of the round.
And then, right before the horn, Prates pulled off a spinning back elbow that landed on the side of Neal’s head, dropping him out cold.
CARLOS PRATES KNOCKED OUT GEOFF NEAL WITH A SPINNING BACK ELBOW š³
The UFC 319 card could be in for a welterweight barnburner, as the promotion is reportedly working to revive a previously scrapped showdown that had fans buzzing.
UFC 319 is scheduled to light up the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 16. The ninth pay-per-view event of 2025 will be headlined by reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, who puts his title on the line against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev.
The MMA promotion has already announced several matchups for the event, including a middleweight showdown between Jared Cannonier and Michael “Venom” Page, along with a lightweight clash featuring seasoned veterans Bobby “King” Green and Diego Ferreira.
Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates Targeted For Rebooking At UFC 319
According to a recent report from MMA journalist Laerte Viana, the UFC is working to rebook a welterweight showdown between Geoff Neal and Carlos Prates for the upcoming UFC 319 event.
The matchup was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 314 this past April, but plans were derailed when Neal was forced to withdraw due to injury, leading to the boutās cancellation. As a result, Prates was rescheduled to headline UFC Kansas City just two weeks later, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Ian Machado Garry.
āHandz of Steelā last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 308 in October 2024, where he scored a first-round knockout over former champion Rafael dos Anjos. The emphatic finish snapped a two-fight skid against Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Neal, who once rode a five-fight UFC win streak, has struggled to maintain that form, going 3-4 in his last seven Octagon appearances. The 34-year-old holds a 16-6 pro record, with 10 wins by knockout.
Meanwhile, Prates tasted defeat for the first time in his UFC career in his most recent outing. āThe Nightmareā had entered the bout riding a wave of momentum, having scored four consecutive knockout victories over notable names like Neil Magny and Li Jingliang. The 31-year-old Brazilian now holds a career record of 21-7, with 19 of those wins coming by way of finish.
The lineup for next month’s UFC 314 pay-per-view has taken a big hit.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will be back in Florida soon to host another April numbered event from inside Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The March PPV in Las Vegas saw multiple bouts struck off the card on fight day due to illness. Now, the injury curse has reared its head again in 2025, with one of the most intriguing matchups booked for UFC 314 falling through.
After establishing himself as one of the fastest-rising names on MMA’s biggest stage, Carlos Prates was gearing up for a showdown with longtime welterweight contender Geoff Neal.
But during the broadcast for Saturday’s UFC Mexico event, it was announced that “Handz of Steel” has been forced to withdraw, taking both him and Prates off the April 12 lineup.
Geoff Neal is injured and out of his UFC 314 fight vs. Carlos Prates, per the #UFCMexico broadcast.
Jon Anik notes Prates won't get a replacement but teases big news for him soon.
It remains to be seen what comes next for Prates after this cancellation, but play-by-play commentator Jon Anik implied news regarding that is on the way.
Ian Machado Garry put his money where his mouth is in the lead up to UFC 310. The undefeated welterweight has been calling out all the names that are ranked ahead of him but when none of them would take the fight, he agreed to face Joaquin Buckley on December 14.
His decision to take this matchup came with one other promise to the UFC, that he would be ready to step in if either of the men involved in the UFC 310 main event were forced to withdraw. With the welterweight champion Belal Muhammad out of the fight, Garry proved to be a man of his word and he will now face Shavkat Rakhmonov in the co-main event this weekend.
Calling opponents out for avoiding him is one thing but agreeing to face the man that everyone sees as the boogeyman of the division really shows that Garry backs himself against any and all of his fellow welterweights. In fact, he already believes that he’s overcome the toughest style clash for him.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, the 27-year old answered some questions from the fans. One of which asked him who he believes is the toughest style matchup for him in the division.
Though many would assume that a grappling-heavy fighter might be his biggest challenge as an excellent striker, he responded by naming an opponent that he has already beaten. In February, he won 30-27 on two of the judges scorecards at UFC 298 to earn his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon.
āI believe Iāve already fought him, his name is Geoff Neal. Someone who hits like a truck, has clean striking, very hard to take down. So I believe that he was one of the dark horses in the division and I went out there and I beat him clean, so for me thatās it.āĀ
The welterweight return and 40th birthday of UFC veteran Rafael Dos Anjos did no go to plan at UFC 308 this past Saturday night. His bout with the #10-ranked Geoff Neal came to an end in just 90 seconds after “RDA” suffered a knee injury that he couldn’t continue from.
Neal started the fight incredibly well and was able to drop Dos Anjos early on in the fight. Unfortunately, the second time that the former lightweight champion went down, it was the end of the fight due to an injury which isn’t how anyone would’ve wanted the fight to go.
Despite this, Dos Anjos appears to be in good spirits as evident from his first social media post after the injury. Following consecutive losses to Vicente Luque and Mateusz Gamrot, the Brazilian was hoping to kick off another run at 170-pounds in this fight.
He’ll now be resting up before returning to the drawing board but given everything that he has been through in his career, the 49-fight warrior promises to be back once again.
He posted on Instagram to thank people for their support and tell them that he’s doing okay and is focused on making a return once he’s healthy again.
“Thank you all fight fans for the support, sorry I let you guys down. Definitely it was not how I want to celebrate my 40th birthday, it was a tough loss. During my whole UFC career itās my second time been hospitalized after a fight, it make me feel blessed, it could been worse, itās a tough game. Time to heal up, enjoy the family. Iām not done yet, Iāll be back soon. God bless you all. Iāll keep you guys updated on my stories.”
Former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos is back up at welterweight this weekend when he faces Geoff Neal at UFC 308. After initially making the move up to 170-pounds back in 2017, “RDA” has returned to 155 on several occasions but that appears to have come to an end.
At UFC 299 earlier this year, Dos Anjos faced Mateusz Gamrot in a fight that could have propelled him up the lightweight rankings with a win. Considering the stakes that were hanging in the balance, the Brazilian said in a recent interview with Home of Fight that it made sense to take.
After coming up short against Gamrot, Dos Anjos intends on spending the rest of his days in the UFC as a certified welterweight. When he first went up a weight class, it was due to the brutal weight cuts that he was having to go through in order to hit 155-pounds.
During the interview, the former champ revealed that he was having to cut nearly 30 pounds earlier this year in Miami in order to fight in his former division once again.
Securing a win over the #10-ranked Neal in Abu Dhabi this weekend will be the justification that Dos Anjos needs in order to remain at welterweight.
āJust try to make weight is hell man. Iām 195 right now three weeks away from the fight and Iām in good shape, you know. Iām not in a bad shape and Iām not fat, Iām in a good shape and itās just too hard man. My last lightweight camp, the whole camp like even on the fight week, I was 185, I couldnāt get below that. The lightest that I got during the fight camp was 184 and man, Iām 39-years old, I have the title before and thatās not what I want for my life.ā
MMA News has you covered with this weekās UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to the upcoming cards.
With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if theyāre to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.
In recent days, a few notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:
Geoff Neal may have recently been arrested on a DWI and weapons charge, but he is not letting that distract him from his fight at UFC 269.
It was recently reported that Neal had been arrested in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day and was facing misdemeanor charges of DWI and unlawful carrying of a weapon. While he was released on bail several hours later, this did cause a bit of concern about the future of his UFC 269 fight with Santiago Ponzinibbio, which was scheduled to take place just 16 days after his arrest.
Now it has become clear that Neal will still fight at UFC 269 and was tasked with speaking to media ahead of this contest. Here, he opened up about what happened for the first time since his arrest. He did not want to comment much on the specifics but cleared the air on some issues.
āNo comments on what really went down,ā Neal said during the UFC 269 media day (h/t MMAFighting). āI havenāt been charged with any crime yet.
āPretty much they had probable cause, and instead of doing the Breathalyzer, I chose to do the blood [test]. So Iām waiting on the results to come back on that and weāll go from there.ā
Photo courtesy of Collins County Sheriff’s Department
As far as the weapons charges go, Geoff Neal explained the gun found with him was registered to him legally. He felt that the reports about the situation were somewhat misleading, and were blowing things out of proportion.
āIt was just a one-night thing,ā Neal said. āJust decided to kick back and relax with my girlfriend. Had a few drinks and then thereās a situation that happened and then cops got involved. I did have my weapon on me. My weapon, itās legal. Itās licensed in my name. They made it look like I had a MAC-10 in my lap, driving around drunk or something.
āItās not as serious as they make it out to be. Itās not like I was drunk off my ass, hungover, just running the streets. It was a one-time thing.ā
That said, there are fans of Geoff Neal, who may be concerned about his focus on training ahead of this fight, considering how far along he was in training camp when being arrested for a DWI. He assures that there is no reason to be concerned and that it was a one-time thing that was not indicative of how hard he trained.
āNot really [a distraction],ā Neal said. āIt is what it is. Iām the dumbass that did that so Iāve got to deal with it.ā
Geoff Neal will be returning to action this weekend against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. Only then will fans be able to tell what impact, if any, this incident has had on him.
Geoff Neal has experienced a bit of a rough patch ahead of his UFC 269 bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Neal is looking to get back on track after losing two in a row for the first time in his career, by facing Ponzinibbio in the UFC’s final pay-per-view event of the year. However, he will be doing so just days after having spent time in jail following an arrest in Texas.
According to reports, Neal was picked up by the Texas Department of Public Safety at 3:47 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th, just 16 days before his upcoming bout at UFC 269. He was arrested on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying a weapon.
Geoff Neal was then taken to the Collin County Jail, in McKinney, where he was processed. After facing a bail amount of $1,000 for each charge, he was released from jail just after 8 p.m., that very same day.
At the time of writing, it appears that Neal will still be facing Ponzinibbio on December 11th. Additionally, neither he nor the UFC has released an official statement regarding this incident.
Geoff Neal is in need of a big win, after suffering back-to-back losses to Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, which derailed his seven-fight winning streak. Prior to that, he was in the ICU for about a week dealing with septicemia, a blood infection that could have easily cost him his life.
Time will tell if this incident in Texas will have any effect on Neal’s conditioning for the fight or is an indication of the way his training camp went.
