UFC's Geoff Neal: 'My name is going to start buzzing again' after my next fight

TAMPA, Fla. – Geoff Neal has wanted to fight Robbie Lawler, and he might have just found his opening.

Lawler initially was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on Dec. 14 at UFC 245, but a staph infection has forced Ponzinibbio out of the contest, giving Neal the perfect opportunity.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Neal said he wanted to face a top-ranked opponent next, giving a list of names that started with Lawler.

“I would like to fight Robbie Lawler, maybe Anthony Pettis, RDA (Rafael dos Anjos). Those are fights I’m looking at right now,” Neal said.

Neal also said he’d be happy to jump in on short notice should any welterweight have to pull out of an upcoming fight. With Lawler currently opponent-less, the door could be open for him.

But Neal (12-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who’s finished three of his four UFC wins, knows he’s the dark horse of the division and is confident that, regardless, he will get his chance sooner rather than later.

“Eventually my time will come,” Neal said. “I’m just 4-0 in the UFC, you know what I mean. They’re going to overlook me, but my next fight, I’m going to knock the guy out, and they’re going to be like, ‘Oh (expletive), I forgot about Geoff Neal.’ And then my name is going to start buzzing again, but it’s all good. They’ll know my name one day.”

Neal’s “Performance of the Night” finish over Niko Price at UFC 240 in July gave him a number next to his name in the official UFC welterweight rankings, but he knows it might be a little harder to get fights now.

A fight vs. someone like the former 170-pound champion Lawler could be exactly what Neal needs to get to the next level.

“It’s kind of an entertainment business,” Neal said. “It’s about how many fans are going to be watching the fight, but I’m hoping somebody gets hurt, and I jump in on such short notice and steal somebody’s thunder.”