UFC 319 adds Carlos Prates – Geoff Neal

UFC 319 goes down in Chicago on August 16th and we just learned about a banger of a welterweight matchup that’s being added to the card. Laerte Viana was the first to report that top welterweight contenders Carlos Prates (21-7) and Geoff Neal (16-6) will square off next month.

These two had been booked to face each other back in April, but Neal had to pull out of the fight. When Neal fell out of the fight, Prates was moved to the headliner of UFC Kansas City against Ian Machado Garry. After falling behind in that fight, Prates nearly pulled off a last minute finish in the fifth round finish. However, he didn’t quite get it done and he lost a decision. Prior to that decision loss, Prates was 4-0 with four knockouts inside the octagon.

He’ll be taking on fellow knockout artist Geoff Neal next month in Chicago. Neal last fought back in October when he defeated Rafael Dos Anjos after RDA suffered an injury in the first round. Prior to that, Neal had lost a decision to Ian Machado Garry and was submitted by Shavkat Rakhmonov. This is a really big fight for Geoff Neal because after winning his first five UFC bouts including defeating Belal Muhammad, Neal is just 3-4 in his last seven.