Geoff Neal says he “almost died,” Neil Magny now rumored to fight Robbie Lawler

UFC welterweight Geoff Neal announced he is out of his fight against Neil Magny after he says he “almost died” and Robbie Lawler is rumored as the replacement.

Neal was set to make his first appearance in 2020 after sitting on the bench for the first half of the year. He is the No. 11 ranked welterweight in the UFC and is coming off of five straight wins in the Octagon, so a win over No. 14 Magny would have been huge for him in his quest for the title. The two were set to square off later this month on August 29 in Las Vegas, but not anymore as the Neal vs. Magny fight will not happen anytime soon.

Taking to social media, Neal on Sunday announced that he had a recent medical issue in which he says he “almost died.” Shortly thereafter, MMA DNA reported that Neal is likely going to be replaced by the No. 13 ranked former UFC welterweight champion Lawler.

 

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These past few week have been crazy, and that’s putting it lightly. It’s really hard to try to find an eloquent way to say “I almost died.” So screw it.. I almost died…. This really put alot of things into perspective for me. Never did I ever think I would be hooked up to a dialysis machine before my 30s. Everything was going well for me. Was training everyday, making money at work, just signed a contract for a huge fight, then BOOM, life hit me with a check hook. I’m just glad to be home after having to spend 1 week in the ICU. Stay healthy out there y’all and listen to your body at all times. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

A post shared by Geoff Neal (@handzofsteelmma) on Aug 9, 2020 at 7:20pm PDT

These past few week have been crazy, and that’s putting it lightly. It’s really hard to try to find an eloquent way to say “I almost died.” So screw it.. I almost died…. This really put alot of things into perspective for me. Never did I ever think I would be hooked up to a dialysis machine before my 30s. Everything was going well for me. Was training everyday, making money at work, just signed a contract for a huge fight, then BOOM, life hit me with a check hook. I’m just glad to be home after having to spend 1 week in the ICU. Stay healthy out there y’all and listen to your body at all times.

Multiple sources confirm to us that Robbie Lawler (@Ruthless_RL) is the frontrunner to replace Geoff Neal on August 29th to fight Neil Magny (@NeilMagny). #UFCVegas7

We would like to wish Geoff Neal a speedy recovery.

— MMA DNA (@MMADNANL) August 10, 2020

Multiple sources confirm to us that Robbie Lawler ( @Ruthless_RL ) is the frontrunner to replace Geoff Neal on August 29th to fight Neil Magny ( @NeilMagny ). #UFCVegas7

This is the latest stroke of bad luck for Neal, who has struggled to get an opponent to sign on the dotted line to fight him. Neal is coming off of a head kick TKO win over Mike Perry but due to his low ranking, he has struggled to get fights with higher-ranked fighters such as Michael Chiesa reportedly turning bout agreements. Since he wasn’t able to get a fight booked, Neal recently admitted that he went back to his second job at Texas Steakhouse. Hopefully, he is able to get healthy quickly and get back in the Octagon and do his thing.

As for Lawler, if he does indeed take the fight, this will mark his first appearance of 2020. The former champ Lawler has lost his last three fights to Colby Covington, Ben Askren, and Rafael dos Anjos, with his last official win coming against Donald Cerrone in July 2017.

Are you satisfied with Robbie Lawler as a replacement opponent for Neil Magny due to the withdrawal by Geoff Neal?