At UFC 308 on Saturday, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos took on the number-tenth-ranked welterweight contender, Geoff Neal in a big fight at 170lbs.
Heading into the fight, Rafael dos Anjos was coming off the back of two disappointing losses to Vicente Luque and Mateusz Gamrot.
Similarly, Geoff Neal was coming in off the back of two disappointing losses himself to Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry.
Rafael dos Anjos suffers devastating knee injury as the fight is finished in round one
On his 40th birthday, the Brazilian was hopeful of returning to welterweight with a win, despite the odds being stacked against him.
‘Handz of Steel’ Neal began the fight the more comfortable of the two and showed his threat early on with some big power punches. RDA’s biggest advantage in this fight was his grappling, however, it didn’t last long enough for him to get it going.
Not long into the first round, Neal landed a big right hand on the chin of dos Anjos which sent him down to the mat momentarily. After making his way back to his feet, dos Anjos didn’t look comfortable standing and striking with the knockout artists.
Shortly after, Neal stepped in and landed another punch and although it wasn’t the most powerful of shots, it once again dropped the Brazilian, but this time he was seen clutching at his knee and waving to the referee.
Fortunately, Mark Smith recognized that the former champion had suffered a knee injury and quickly stepped in and prevented Neal from landing any additional shots.
- ANOTHER INJURY: Fan favorite UFC heavyweight appears to injure himself while being introduced for UFC 308 fight and is stopped after two-year absence
Geoff Neal audaciously calls for a rematch against Belal Muhammad
Despite how Neal’s win came about, he returned to the Octagon with a much-needed win and is now hoping to fight someone ahead of him in the rankings.
Following the win, Neal audaciously called for a rematch against the current welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, who Neal beat back in 2019.
As for dos Anjos, after suffering another devastating injury at the age of 40, that could be the last time we see the former 155lb champion step foot in the Octagon.