November 4, 2024

Belal Muhammad vs. Geoff Neal booked for UFC ESPN+ debut

Belal Muhammad (pictured) fights Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in Brooklyn on Jan. 19
 Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

The UFC’s first card on ESPN+ is beginning to take shape.

Newsday reported Tuesday that Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal have been booked to fight on the Jan. 19 card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the first UFC event that will be broadcast via the ESPN+ streaming service. A weight class was not specified, but Muhammad and Neal have regularly competed at 170 pounds.

Muhammad (14-2) was supposed to fight Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in August, but an injury forced Muhammad to withdraw. He’ll be looking to pick up his fifth straight win and sixth in his last seven appearances when he meets Neal. Most recently, Muhammad won a unanimous decision over Chance Rencountre at UFC Utica in June.

Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series contract winner, Neal (10-2) is unbeaten in two Octagon appearances thus far, with first-round submission of Brian Camozzi and a second-round head-kick KO of Frank Camacho on his UFC resume. He has won four straight and eight of his last nine.

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