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The first UFC event of the upcoming year has taken a hit as the welterweight co-main event between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal will not be taking place at UFC Vegas 67 on January 14, 2023.
Upset with his fight being called off, Rakhmonov fired shots at Neal on social media.
'Nomad' said that Neal's bold claim of getting an easy win over Rakhmonov was "all talk." The Kazakhstani wrote on Twitter:
"Apparently @handzofsteelmma is all talk"
In the lead-up to the fight, Neal had stated that he did not see anything special in Rakhmonov and would get the better of 'Nomad' as long as he was focused and his cardio held up.
The fight was supposed to be an exciting affair as both athletes are currently on winning streaks. 'Handz of Steel' has managed to secure victories in his last two fights against Vicente Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Shavkat Rakhmonov, on the other hand, is undefeated with an impressive record of 16-0. The 28-year-old is currently 4-0 in the UFC and Neal was supposed to be his next big test in the promotion.
Twitter reacts to the cancelation of Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal
The news of Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal being off the table has left a lot of MMA fans disappointed. Many of them took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the announcement.
One Twitter user said that the UFC will have a hard time finding a replacement for 'Nomad' and may have to pick a regional fighter to fill in for Neal:
"Going to have a hard time finding a replacement. Have to be someone off the regional scene desperate for a shot."
Another user suggested a showdown between Rakhmonov and fellow unbeaten welterweight Khamzat Chimaev:
"Khamzat always talking about people ducking him add him in and let’s gooooo"
One individual asked everyone to take it easy on Neal as he might be facing some health issues:
"Let’s not be hard on Geoff about it in the comments though. Geoff has had issues with his heart in the past. Wouldn’t surprise me if that’s why he had to pull. Would’ve been the type of matchup I’d love to see. Maybe down the line."
A few more tweets on the fight cancelation can be seen below:
