Fans around the world were saddened on Saturday evening when a legend of the sport, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, fell over with an apparent leg injury in the first round of the UFC 308 featured prelim.
No one was more upset than Geoff Neal, who had been doing well by scoring an early knockdown against RDA. Although the fight goes down on his record as a win, the welterweight contender would surely have preferred to keep winning with his skills and not have the bout end because of that fickle mistress named Lady Luck.
The options for dos Anjos are quite clear; he can retire, which may be a good idea considering this fight took place on his 40th birthday and he suffered a non-contact leg injury, or he can continue to increase his record for most fight time in UFC history, though against unranked fighters from now on.
Personally, I have no desire to see a 40-year-old keep fighting in two weight classes where he is physically out-matched. RDA has lost four of his last five bouts. If he retires, he will be celebrated as a legend and inducted into the Hall of Fame after the one-year grace period, no doubt about it.
As for Geoff Neal, despite being the winner he is not grabbing the headlines. Unfortunately, this fight did nothing for him in terms of ranking movement, though it did get him back in the win column after two losses. He is still the #10 welterweight contender and will have to fight someone close to his own ranking.
Shortly behind Neal in the rankings is the undefeated rising star, Michael Morales. The Ecuadorian recently won his fifth UFC fight, his biggest win yet, against infamous gatekeeper Neil Magny.
Geoff Neal will offer much stiffer resistance as a striker and in terms of takedown defense; he may be the first to truly test Morales in the UFC, as the 25-year-old has had little difficulty with any of his other UFC opponents.
Whoever wins that fight will be one of the ten best fighters in the UFC. Though the win would do more for Morales than Neal, that is how it works as a mid-ranked veteran fighting opponents nine years younger.
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