UFC is reportedly planning to reschedule a fight between welterweight contenders Geoff Neal and Carlos Prates for their upcoming pay-per-view event, UFC 319, set to take place in Chicago on August 16th.
Sources familiar with the situation have indicated that both fighters have agreed to the proposed rebooking for the event. UFC 319 is scheduled to be held at the United Center and is expected to feature a middleweight championship bout between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev in the main event.
This specific pairing was initially slated for UFC 314 in April. However, Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal was forced to withdraw from the card. Following this, Carlos Prates (21-7) was moved to headline UFC Kansas City just two weeks later, where he suffered a decision loss to Ian Machado Garry.
That defeat marked the end of Prates` impressive six-year unbeaten streak. His recent run of form within the UFC, since joining about a year ago, included four consecutive knockout victories over notable opponents such as Jingliang Li and Neil Magny.
Geoff Neal (16-6) has not competed since October 2023 (correcting a likely typo from 2024 in original text). In his last outing, he secured a victory against former champion Rafael dos Anjos, bouncing back from previous losses to Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Wesley Dunham