- Shavkat Rakhmonov has reopened as the -435 favorite to beat Geoff Neal (+365).
- Rakhmonov and Neal have been rebooked to fight at UFC 285 on March 4th in Las Vegas.
- Rakhmonov is 4-0 in the UFC while Neal has won his last two Octagon assignments.
Shavkat Rakhmonov has re-opened as the heavy betting favorite to beat Geoff Neal in their rescheduled bout.
Rakhmonov was supposed to fight Neal at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 217 event at the UFC APEX. However, Neal was forced off the bout due to an undisclosed injury, and Rakhmonov also ended up getting removed from the event.
Earlier this month, the bout was rescheduled for UFC 285 in Las Vegas on March 4th. With the fight back on, the top UFC sportsbooks have re-opened the betting lines for that welterweight encounter. And just as it was during the first booking, Rakkhmonov has opened as a massive favorite to defeat Neal.
The odds are, however, just a little bit closer with Rakhmonov reopening at -435 odds and Neal coming back at +350. During the first booking, Rakhmonov opened at -500 odds with Neal hitting the opening betting boards at +360.
Shavkat Rakhmonov Taps Out Neil Magny
Shavkat Rakhmonov calls out ‘Wonderboy’ after tapping Neil Magny with nasty guillotine choke in #UFCVegas57 co-main event https://t.co/C6NSz9bcKU pic.twitter.com/8WkXek1ptS
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) June 26, 2022
Rakhmonov is unbeaten in the UFC with four consecutive stoppage victories. The 28-year-old from Uzbekistan is coming off a submission victory over Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 57 last June 25th at the UFC APEX. The win was his fourth in as many fights inside the UFC Octagon. After tapping out Magny, Rakhmonov called out Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson but the UFC gave him Geoff Neal instead.
A former M-1 Global welterweight champion and former KZMMAF welterweight champion, Rakhmonov joined the UFC in 2020 and made his debut at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi where he choked out Alex Oliveira inside one round. He returned to the Octagon 8 months later and submitted Michael Prazeres via rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 190. 2022 was an even better year with Rakhmonov earning Performance of the Night honors during his stoppage wins against Carlston Harris and Magny.
Overall, Rakhmonov is undefeated in 16 professional MMA bouts. All of his wins have come via stoppage with 8 coming by way of knockout and the other 8 by tap out. This marks the 4th consecutive time that Rakhmonov has opened as the betting favorite in a UFC bout and this represents his shortest opening odds ever. He is currently the no. 10 ranked welterweight in the UFC.
Geoff Neal Knocks Out Vicente Luque
GEOFF NEAL WITH THE HUGE THIRD ROUND KO AND GETS THE FIRST KNOCKOUT OVER LUQUE #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/TZTFn7SZLv
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) August 7, 2022
Neal heads to this bout after becoming the first fighter to knock out Vicente Luque, doing so at UFC Vegas 49 last August 6th at the UFC APEX. Entering the fight, Luque had not lost two fights in a row but Neal showed why he’s dubbed as “ Handz of Steel” as he face-planted “The Silent Assassin” to a second consecutive setback while picking up a second straight victory.
A former XKO middleweight title challenger, Neal also fought for promotions like Xtreme Combat Productions, Xtreme Knockout, Legacy FC, LFA, and Rumble Time Promotions before joining the Contender Series where he knocked out Chase Waldon and earned a UFC contract. Neal won his first five UFC assignments, four via stoppage, before dropping back-to-back bouts against Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny.
Now with a 7-2 record under the UFC, Neal has risen to no. 7 in the latest UFC welterweight rankings. He owns a professional record of 15-4 with 9 knockouts and two submission victories. This marks only the second time in his UFC career that Neal has opened as the betting underdog and only the first time he has opened with the plus money sign written next to his name.
