“Ready for it” – Geoff Neal lobbies for a fight against Gilbert Burns

“Ready for it” – Geoff Neal lobbies for a fight against Gilbert Burns

Geoff Neal and Gilbert Burns

Appearing on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, UFC Welterweight Geoff Neal rallied for a fight with the division’s top contender Gilbert Burns. Neal is coming off of a brutal KO of Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 40 – Santos vs. Hill earlier this month.

Neal became the first fighter in history to Knockout Vicente Luque. He is currently on a 2 fight win streak after the win. With 19 fights in his MMA carrier, he’s currently 15-4. After tasting the defeat at the hands of Neil Magny last year. Neal bounced back with a win by beating Santiago Ponzinibbio by a split decision at UFC 269 last year.

On the other hand, Gilbert Burns is coming off a loss in one of the most thrilling fights this year. He was taking on the rising star, Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 this April. Burns and Chimaev put on a show for the fans. Durinho even scored a knockdown in the fight and proved once again why he’s one of the best. However, Durinho lost the match by unanimous decision. He is 1-2 in his last three outings.

Related: “Neal’s left hand is crispy” – Pros react to Geoff Neal knocking out Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 59

Geoff Neal feels he’s the next logical opponent for Gilbert Burns

Geoff Neal
Geoff Neal

It is no secret that Burns was rallying for a fight with the BMF champion Jorge Masvidal. However, Neal doesn’t see why he and Durinho can’t fight first. Durinho has also expressed his interest in the fight. After the callout by Neal, Durinho showed his interest in the fight if he can’t secure a booking against Jorge Masvidal.

After the brutal KO on Luque, The American Native appeared on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to discuss further his callout, one of the biggest wins in his carrier, his take on Usman vs Edwards 2 and many more.

Also Read: “You will never be champ”- Khamzat Chimaev dismisses the chances of Gilbert Burns of ever being an UFC champion

Elaborating further on the callout he stated, “It depends on Jorge and it depends on how long Gilbert wants to wait for Jorge to make up his damn mind,” Neal said. “I’m right here. I’m willing to fight. We can go ahead and we can get this done on the MSG card or we can just wait until December, but me and Gilbert could fight before the end of the year. If that’s something Gilbert wants, then I’m right here, I’m ready for it.”

“Masvidal’s always going to be there, you can wait for that. He’ll probably come out next year, mid-March or something, talking about he wants to fight. But why wait on him when I’m right here? I’m ready to fight.” Neal added.

When asked why he specifically called out Durniho, The American stated, “I beat Luque and Luque was ranked, what, No. 6, something like that? And it was a great win. It wasn’t like I barely got through it and he’s one of the most dangerous welterweights. All the finishes he had, he has so many records, I finished the finisher so I feel like I deserve something ahead of me and Gilbert’s the only one that’s available, so that’s why I want to fight him.”

What are your thoughts on this potential Welterweight clash between the two top contenders in the division? Should Burns wait for Masvidal or just fight Neal? Let us know in the comments below.

Read More: “8 uppercuts in a row!!” – Geoff Neal obliterates Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 59