Carlos Prates and Geoff Neal are set to face off at UFC 319 in Chicago on August 16, after their initial fight was postponed, with the event headlined by Dricus du Plessis defending his middleweight belt against Khamzat Chimaev.
The UFC is set to give Carlos Prates another shot at Geoff Neal, aiming for a showdown at the upcoming pay-per-view in Chicago on August 16. Fingers crossed this time!
Both fighters have signed on for the rebooking at UFC 319, as confirmed by multiple sources to MMA Fighting. Laerte Viana broke the news first.
UFC 319 will light up the United Center in Chicago. The main event? Dricus du Plessis defending his middleweight belt against Khamzat Chimaev. Exciting stuff!
Originally, Prates (21-7) and Neal (16-6) were slated to clash in April. But "Handz of Steel" Neal had to withdraw from UFC 314. Prates was then bumped to the main event in Kansas City, where he lost a decision to Ian Machado Garry.
That loss ended Prates’ impressive six-year unbeaten streak. Before that, he had four consecutive knockouts, taking down fighters like Jingliang Li and Neil Magny since his UFC debut a year earlier.
Neal, on the other hand, hasn’t fought since October 2024. His last bout was a win over former champ Rafael dos Anjos, a much-needed victory after losses to Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Mike Heck and Damon Martin contributed to this report.