Geoff Neal is MMA Junkie’s 2019 “Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year” – and for good reason.
Fortis MMA welterweight Neal (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) had a monster 2019, defeating three difficult opponents in impressive fashion.
Neal’s year began sitting atop a 2-0 UFC record. At UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January, Neal kicked, punched, and outpointed a very tough Belal Muhammad en route to a dominant unanimous decision victory.
Six months later, Neal returned to the cage at UFC 240 in July. One month short of his 29th birthday, Neal took on Niko Price in a thrilling brawl. The two men traded barbs, before Neal eventually finished the Floridian with ground-and-pound in Round 2.
A win over a formidable opponent like Price set Neal up for an even bigger-name opponent in his final outing of the calendar year. In December at UFC 245, Neal made it three-for-three, and did so in short order.
Taking on fan-favorite “Platinum” Mike Perry in the final UFC pay-per-view of the year, Neal didn’t hold back. The Texas native landed a hard head kick, which wobbled Perry. From there, Neal didn’t let Perry off the hook. Instead, Neal swarmed and handed Perry his first career TKO loss at 1:30 of Round 1.
What Neal did this year was nothing short of incredible. And while the general public is starting to take notice, he still isn’t quite getting the recognition he deserves.
All three of the opponents Neal faced this year were, and are, extremely difficult tests to pass. Muhammad, Price, and Perry are three of the UFC 170-pound division’s most violent. Since their respective fights with Neal, the trio has not lost a fight.
Expect 2020 to be a big year for Neal, who will almost certainly kick off the upcoming decade with a top-15 opponent. If his trajectory continues, we could see his name inserted into the title picture by the end of 2020.
2019 ‘Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year’ Honorable Mentions
Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira
2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, Feb. 2: UFC on ESPN+ 2 vs. David Teymur (submission via anaconda choke – Round 2, 0:55)
Win #2, May 18: UFC on ESPN+ 10 vs. Nik Lentz (TKO via punches – Round 2, 2:21)
Win #3, Nov. 16: UFC on ESPN+ 22 vs. Jared Gordon (knockout via punches – Round 1, 1:26)
Cory Sandhagen
Cory Sandhagen
2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, Jan. 19: UFC on ESPN+ 1 vs. Mario Bautista (submission via armbar – Round 1, 3:31)
Win #2, April 27: UFC on ESPN+ 8 vs. John Lineker (via split decision)
Win #3, Aug. 17: UFC 241 vs. Raphael Assuncao (via unanimous decision)
Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira
2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, Jan. 19: UFC on ESPN+ 1 vs. Karl Roberson (submission via arm-triangle choke – Round 1, 3:21)
Win #2, April 27: UFC on ESPN+ 8 vs. Ion Cutelaba (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 2, 3:37)
Win #3, Sept. 14: UFC on ESPN+ 16 vs. Nikita Krylov (via split decision)
Edmen Shahbazyan
Edmen Shahbazyan
2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, March 2: UFC 235 vs. Charles Byrd (TKO via elbows and punches – Round 1, 0:38)
Win #2, July 6: UFC 239 vs. Jack Marshman (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 1, 1:12)
Win #3, Nov. 2: UFC 244 vs. Brad Tavares (knockout via head kick – Round 1, 2:27)
Gilbert Burns
Gilbert Burns
2019 Record: 3-0
Win #1, April 27: UFC on ESPN+ 8 vs. Mike Davis (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 2, 4:16)
Win #2, Aug. 10: UFC on ESPN+ 14 vs. Aleksei Kunchenko (via unanimous decision)
Win #3, Sept. 28: UFC on ESPN+ 18 vs. Gunnar Nelson (knockout via punches – Round 1, 1:26)
Irene Aldana
Irene Aldana
2019 Record: 3-1
Win #1, May 11: UFC 237 vs. Bethe Correia (submission via armbar – Round 3, 3:24)
Loss, July 20: UFC on ESPN 4 vs. Raquel Pennington (via split decision)
Win #2, Sept. 21: UFC on ESPN+ 17 vs. Vanessa Melo (via unanimous decision)
Win #3, Dec. 14: UFC 245 vs. Jared Gordon (knockout via punch – Round 1, 4:51)
Emiliano Sordi
Emiliano Sordi
2019 Record: 5-0
Win #1, June 6: PFL Regular Season vs. Vinny Magalhaes (TKO via punches – Round 2, 2:45)
Win #2, Aug. 8: PFL Regular Season vs. Bozigit Ataev (knockout via punches – Round 1, 1:23)
Win #3, Oct. 31: PFL Playoffs vs. Sigi Pesaleli (TKO via strikes – Round 1, 1:13)
Win #4, Oct. 31: PFL Playoffs vs. Bozigit Ataev (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 1, 4:26)
Win #5, Dec. 31: PFL Final vs. Jordan Johnson (TKO via ground-and-pound – Round 1, 2:01)
Patrick Mix
Patrick Mix
2019 Record: 4-0
Win #1, Feb. 23: KOTC vs. Turrell Galloway (via TKO – Round 1, 1:45)
Win #2, June 14: Bellator 222 vs. Ricky Bandejas (submission via rear-naked choke – Round 1, 1:06)
Win #3, Oct. 26: Bellator 232 (submission via Suloev stretch – Round 1, 3:49)
Win #4, Dec. 31: RIZIN 20 vs. Yuki Motoya (submission via guillotine choke – Round 1, 1:36)
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MMA Junkie's 2019 'Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year': Geoff Neal
