Neil Magny will not fight Geoff Neal on Aug. 29.
Magny (23-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) and Neal (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) were expected to square off at the UFCs Aug. 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, Neal recently suffered a health scare that led to hospitalization in the ICU. Neal’s withdrawal has opened the door for Robbie Lawler, who came in as a replacement.
On Sunday, several sources with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie about the withdrawal of Neal and the Lawler (28-14 MMA, 13-8 UFC), but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. .
MMA DNA reported Lawler was the frontrunner shortly after Neal’s post.
Neal opened up about his health scare in a
‘These past weeks have been crazy, and that sheds light. It’s really hard to try to say in an eloquent way “I almost died.” So screw it up .. I almost died…. This has put a lot of things in perspective for me. I never thought I would be connected to a dialysis machine before my 30s. Everything went well for me. Was training every day, earning money at work, just signed a contract for an enormous fight, then BOOM, life hit me with a check. I’m just happy to be home after spending 1 week in the ICU. Stay healthy and always listen to your body. ”
Lawler, a former UFC welterweight champion, has not competed since a loss in August 2019 to Colby Covington. In his most recent five outings, Lawler has gone 1-4 and rides on a three-stroke losing skid.
As for Magny, he has won four of his last five fights. In 2020, Magny won unanimous decisions on Li Jingliang and Anthony Rocco Martin.
With the change, the August 29 lineup now includes:
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Anthony Smith Ryan Hall vs. Alex Caceres vs. Ricardo Lamas Giga Chikadze Robbie Lawler Vs. Alexa Grasso vs. Neil Magny Ji Yeon Kim Christian Aguilera Vs. Sean Brady Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico Emily Whitmire vs. Polyana Viana Julian Marquez vs. Saparbeg Safarov Hannah Cifers vs. Mallory Martin
.
