Shavkat Rakhmonov

Kazakhstani earned impressive win at UFC 285 at weekend to lift his pro MMA record to 17-0.

That bout headlines UFC 286 in London on March 18. Etihad Arena would be full of Kazakhstan fans. [UFC 254](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/other-sport/ufc-254-tearful-khabib-nurmagomedov-says-he-is-retiring-after-victory-over-justin-gaethje-1.1098963) in October 2020 – part of the [second Fight Island series](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/other-sport/return-to-ufc-fight-island-confirmed-as-khabib-nurmagomedov-and-israel-adesanya-top-insane-lineup-in-abu-dhabi-1.1079344) in the UAE capital. And if it’s Abu Dhabi, it would be beautiful.” All five wins – all 17 in pro MMA – have come via finishes. [expected to return to Abu Dhabi](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/ufc/2022/10/22/dana-white-excited-to-continue-abu-dhabi-love-affair-as-future-ufc-plans-take-shape/) late this year.

Follow the UFC 285 live blog for Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov, the featured welterweight fight on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Four opponents have fallen before the Kazakh fighter in just over two years in the promotion, and now “Nomad” hopes to cement himself as a future title challenger with a win over his highest-ranked opponent yet. As a result, Neal will forfeit 30 percent of his purse to Rakhmonov, and he still has to face one of the scariest prospects in MMA. [UFC 285](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1361/ufc-285-jones-vs-gane) live blog for [Geoff Neal vs.

We break down pre-fight odds, provide round-by-round odds, and get you the eventual result for Geoff Neal-Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285.

Rakhmonov lands a huge right hand shot and Neal having a kodak moment. Neal is trying to hold on and Rakhmonov has seized control of the fight again. Whew, Rakhmonov lands a big time jab and Neal stuck in his tracks for the moment. Each time Neal lands a shot, Rakhmonov smiles and acknowledges great work from both fighters. Rakhmonov lands a huge head kick and Neal is now cut, that kick was thrown with some velocity. Rakhmonov starts with a high kick, Neal now against the cage.

Undefeated Rakhmonov takes on Geoff Neal at UFC 285! Check out our UFC odds series for our Neal-Rakhmonov prediction and pick.

Neal will be more than willing to stand and bang with him, so look for Rakhmonov to be creative in keeping distance and using his kicks against Neal’s front leg. This fight will still be close, but the weight miss for Neal is worrisome when considering a possible injury he’s dealing with. Nevertheless, Neal will have a real advantage on the feet with his crisp striking and heavy hands. Neal will have a willing dance partner in the stand-up with Rakhmonov. Neal will be at his biggest disadvantage in the wrestling. If he chooses to stand in the pocket and bang with Neal, he might get hit with a few shots and possibly rocked. Many are speculating that Geoff Neal is coming in to this fight heavy as a strategic tactic to outweigh Rakhmonov in the grappling. After making a name for himself on DWCS, Neal went on to win his first five consecutive fights in the UFC by using his heavy hands. However, for a fighter in Neal that rarely misses weight, a miss like this could be indicative of a lingering injury or illness. Most notably, the lethal fighter from Kazakhstan has finished all 16 of his fights, half by knockout and half by submission with nine of those being in the first round. Neal came in heavy by five pounds and will forfeit 30% of his purse. The tension of the UFC 285 Main Card will be as high as ever when we take a look at this upcoming bout between ranked fighters in the Welterweight (170 lb) Division.

Despite the weight cutting issues and the dominant fighter in front of him, Neal put up a tremendous fight, catching Rakhmonov with several clean punches and ...

While Neal was willing to exchange strikes with Rakhmonov, it was Rakhmonov who got the best of most of those trades. Rakhmonov bounced back from being stumbled in that final round to maul Neal along the cage. Rakhmonov justified the hype, battling through tough spots before scoring a third-round submission to run his perfect record to 17-0.

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, and round by round scoring for UFC 285 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The televised four-fight prelims will air on ESPN+ and ESPNews and will start at 8pm ET/5pm PT. There are five early prelims on ESPN+ and Fight Pass that will kick off around 6pm ET/3pm PT. The featured bout of the prelims will see former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt taking on Trevin Jones.

An all-out slugfest between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal at UFC 285 ended with a submission.

Jessica Penne via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:14](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-video-tabatha-ricci-taps-jessica-penne-start-baby-shark-era%E2%80%9D) [Farid Basharat def. Julian Marquez via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:12](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-video-marc-andre-barriault-vs-julian-marquez-tko%E2%80%9D) [Ian Garry def. Song Kenan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:22](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-ian-garry-tko-win-conor-mcgregor-celebration%E2%80%9D) [Cameron Saaiman def. Esteban Ribovics via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) Derek Brunson via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 4:59](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-results-derek-brunson-vs-dricus-du-plessis-towel-throw-ko%E2%80%9D) [Amanda Ribas def. Da’Mon Blackshear via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) [Loik Radzhabov def. Trevin Jones via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-results-cody-garbrandt-practices-patience-in-unanimous-decision-win-over-trevin-jones%E2%80%9D) [Dricus Du Plessis def. Mana Martinez via majority decision (29-26, 29-27, 28-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) [Tabatha Ricci def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/%E2%80%9Chttps://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-285-jon-jones-ciryl-gane-heavyweight-title-shevchenko-grasso-play-by-play-live-results%E2%80%9D) [Marc-Andre Barriault def. Jamie Pickett via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:54](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/03/ufc-285-results-bo-nickal-vs-jamie-pickett-debut-ncaa-wrestling) [Cody Garbrandt def. The catchweight bout (Neal missed the welterweight limit) was part of the main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite Neal’s miss on the scales, Rakhmonov appeared to be the visibly bigger fighter.

Watch UFC 285 full fight video highlights: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal earlier tonight (Sat., Mar. 4, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile ...

Look for Rakhmonov to get a shot at the welterweight top 5 his next time out. The undefeated contender moved in for the kill and locked up an impressive standing rear-naked choke finish that put Neal to sleep. Rakhmonov recovered, though, and landed stiff punches in the third round to put Neal on the ropes.

UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane took place March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Welterweight contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0) and Geoff Neal (15-5) ...

Neal lands a left. Rakhmonov grabs a choke from the side!!!!! Like a standing bulldog choke and Rakhmonov gets the tap with short time!!!!!!! We restart and Rakhmonov lands a big knee! Neal lands a 2-3! And we’re back to a clinch, where Rakhmonov is kneeing the body. And corralling Neal to the fence. Back in space and Rakhmonov lands a nice right hand over the guard. Head kick from Rakhmonov glances and Neal is hurt! Rakhmonov tries a trip but Neal defends. Neal lands a left hand. Rakhmonov lands a kick.

UFC 285 results: Full fight coverage of Welterweight pay-per-view (PPV) match tonight (Sat., March 4, 2023) between Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov from ...

Neal was trapped, and he was forced to submit. Just over a minute into the round, Rakhmonov managed to close distance into the clinch, but Neal defended the trip. Knees and elbows scored by the bunches for “Nomad,” but Neal showed off incredible toughness to endure the punishment. Rakhmonov really committed to a single leg takedown, but Neal managed to keep his balance. Consecutive high kicks scored for Rakhmonov to start the third, but Neal fired right back. In the end, though, he did ultimately serve as a stepping stone, as Rakhmonov landed dozens of power punches en route to a late slick submission finish.

An all-out slugfest between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal at UFC 285 ended with a submission.

Joe Rogan stepped in to help veteran referee Herb Dean at UFC 285.The UFC commentator was in the broadcast booth alongside Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik.

Rogan said as the action resumed: “He didn’t know. If I didn’t tell him he wouldn’t know. Eventually, Dean stepped in and temporarily halted the fight to allow Rakhmonov to put his gum shield back in before the welterweight duo got back to their epic scrap.

Joe Rogan and Daniel were left in awe of Shavkat Rakhmonov's performance as he secured a final round submission victory over Geoff Neal at UFC 285.

I wanted to buy it myself, but then when people found out that I wanted to walk out with the headdress, they gave me it as a gift.” Traditionally this headdress is usually made up out of a wolf or fox skin. [pic.twitter.com/ndCbEkPbUS] [March 5, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/ybRZpple4E] [March 5, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/8VNMHpSQS2] [March 5, 2023] [@JoeRogan]😂 [#UFC285] [pic.twitter.com/APkcI7VMjZ] [March 5, 2023]

Ahead of UFC 285, a clip of UFC star Shavkat Rakhmonov getting dropped in a 2018 fight has started doing the rounds of MMA pages online.

Let us know in the comment section below. Is there a possibility of him getting hurt like in his earlier fight? [Geoff Neil](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/geoff-neal), another legitimate opponent, has the potential to push ‘Nomad’ towards a bigger fight, and a possible chance at UFC gold in the future. He stayed active and minimized damage with wrist control by extending his arm and creating some distance. ‘Terminator’ clearly came out with bad intentions as he consistently threw haymakers; trying to knock out Rakhmonov as early as possible. ADVERTISEMENT

UFC star Geoff Neal had an objection to the promotions's social media pages using his UFC 285 fight to comapre Shavkat Rakhmonov to Jon Jones.

All things considered, Neal did not suffer many setbacks except for the loss at UFC 285. During the post-fight press conference, White gave props to Neal for putting up a good fight against Rakhmonov. [Neal had missed the welterweight mark](https://www.essentiallysports.com/ufc-mma-news-ufc-285-weigh-ins-main-card-fighter-misses-weight-by-four-pounds-thirty-of-purse-fined-as-jon-jones-and-ciryl-gane-confirm-superfight/) and was set to forego a percentage of his purse from the fight. He called the bluff on the UFC’s attempt to hype Rakhmonov by comparing the fight to that of Jones vs. The official UFC Instagram page shared a video juxtaposing Machida’s losing moments in the Jon Jones fight to that of Neal’s at UFC 285. Now, the 32-year-old is earning a comparison to combat sports icon Lyoto Machida, but for the wrong reasons.

On the main card of UFC 285, we saw a massive showdown in the welterweight division. Undefeated top prospect Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0) faced his.

Knee to the body from Rakhmonov now. Knee to the body from Rakhmonov and they break. Big knee to the body again from Rakhmonov. Knee to the body on the break from Rakhmonov. Knee to the body from Rakhmonov. Clinch from Rakhmonov and then he lands a knee to the body. Knee to the body from Rakhmonov and they clinch. Body kick and a long jab from Rakhmonov lands. Big uppercuts from Rakhmonov and then Neal lands back. High kick attempt from Rakhmonov and Neal tries to answer. Nice right hand from Neal and a body kick from Rakhmonov. Right hand from Rakhmonov and a body kick.

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal put on an impressive fight that earnt fight of the night honours at UFC 285. Rakhmonov and Neal each put their best into ...

Rahkmonov would press him against the cage while keeping him busy with simple strikes and hand fighting before transitioning to a back position where he locked in a simple choke. He would respond with a strong and stiff right that, when it connected with Neal it almost got stuck in his jaw somehow the way it delayed coming back. Rakhmonov and Neal each put their best into the other with powerful offense but in the end, it was the shiftiness of the Kazakhstani that made the difference.

Shavkat Rakhmonov calls for a welterweight title shot following his win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.

And if it’s Abu Dhabi, it would be beautiful.” Champion Leon Edwards is scheduled to defend his belt against former champ Kamaru Usman in a trilogy rematch at UFC 286 on March 18 in London. It was UFC’s decision, but I’m ready for the title shot.