A showdown between welterweight contenders Geoff Neal
and Neil
Magny has been targeted for
UFC on ESPN 24.
UFC broadcast partner
ESPN was first to report that the bout has nearly been
finalized. UFC on ESPN 24 takes place on May 8 and is headlined by
a bantamweight clash pitting Cory
Sandhagen against T.J.
Dillashaw. A location for the card has not been confirmed.
Neal and Magny were initially scheduled to clash on Aug. 29 at UFC
Fight Night 175 but Neal was forced to withdraw due to health
reasons.
After beginning his promotional tenure with five consecutive
triumphs, Neal hit a speed bump in the UFC Fight Night 183
headliner, where he lost a five-round verdict to former 170-pound
title challenger Stephen
Thompson on Dec. 19. The Contender Series alum finished four of
his first five UFC opponents, only needing to go the distance in
victory against Belal
Muhammad.
Magny last appeared at UFC on ESPN 20, where he had a three-bout
winning streak snapped in a five-round decision loss against
Michael
Chiesa. Prior to that, “The Haitian Sensation” had bested
Jingliang
Li, Anthony
Rocco Martin and Robbie
Lawler in succession. The long-tenured UFC veteran is 17-7 over
the course of his Octagon career.