Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal added to stacked UFC 308 lineup in Abu Dhabi

The UFC’s next pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi is starting to take shape with the addition of a compelling welterweight matchup.

Former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will remain at 170 pounds to take on Geoff Neal at UFC 308, which goes down Oct. 26 on Yas Island with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The matchup between dos Anjos (33-16 MMA, 21-14 UFC) and Neal (15-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) was announced during Saturday’s UFC on ABC 7 broadcast.

Dos Anjos, 39, has bounced between welterweight and lightweight in recent years with mixed results. He’s 3-3 in his past six fights, and is coming off back-to-back decision losses against Mateusz Gamrot and Vicente Luque.

The Brazilian will likely get a more striking-based bout this time around, because Neal, 33, is one of the hardest hitters in the division. He is in need of a win himself, because his most recent octagon appearances were a split decision against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 298 in February and a third-round submission defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285 in March 2023.

The latest UFC 308 lineup now includes:

• Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
• Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
• Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
• Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
• Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.