Geoff Neal OUT of UFC 330 Bout Against Chidi Njokuani, Promotion Seeking Replacement
Geoff Neal is OUT of his UFC 330 bout against Chidi Njokuani, as first reported by Marcel Dorff. With the event just 17 days away, the UFC is now searching for a replacement opponent for Njokuani.
It remains unclear why Geoff Neal was forced to withdraw, but the news marks another setback in the career of “Handz of Steel,” who turns 36 at the end of August.
The Career of Geoff Neal:
Geoff Neal was ranked inside the UFC’s welterweight top 15 from 2019 through 2025 before falling out of the rankings following his most recent fight, a first-round knockout loss to Uros Medic. It’s been a difficult stretch for the veteran, who has gone just 1-4 over his last five appearances. Those losses include consecutive first-round knockout defeats to Carlos Prates and the aforementioned Medic.
Even Neal’s lone victory during that span came with an asterisk. He defeated Rafael dos Anjos after the former lightweight champion suffered a knee injury just 90 seconds into the contest.
Overall, Geoff Neal owns an 8-5 UFC record with notable victories over Belal Muhammad, Vicente Luque, and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Chidi Njokuani Needs a New opponent:
His scheduled opponent, Chidi Njokuani, is also looking to get back on track. Njokuani appeared to be on the verge of cracking the welterweight rankings after defeating Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in March 2025, but he has since dropped back-to-back fights against Jake Matthews and Carlos Leal.
Njokuani earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 and has gone 5-5 inside the Octagon, including a 3-2 record since moving down to welterweight.
With UFC 330 marking the promotion’s first trip to Philadelphia since March 2019, there should be no shortage of fighters interested in stepping in on short notice. Any available welterweight sitting one or two wins away from the rankings could jump at the opportunity to face “Bang Bang” on such a high-profile card.
Another possibility would be giving a regional Philadelphia-based fighter the opportunity. As things stand, Jeremiah Wells is the only Philadelphia native currently booked for the event.
One local option is Earl Small. The jiu-jitsu black belt owns a 7-2 professional record and is currently riding a two-fight winning streak.
Another intriguing possibility is Phil Rowe. “The Fresh Prince” was released by the UFC in February but has since returned to the regional scene with a victory. A longtime staple of the Philadelphia MMA community, Rowe compiled a 4-5 UFC record, with all four of his victories coming by knockout.
Looking at UFC 330:
Geoff Neal’s withdrawal is the latest blow to UFC 330. The card previously lost a pivotal women’s flyweight matchup between New Jersey’s Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius after Blanchfield suffered an injury.
Fans have also been critical of the overall structure of the event. UFC 330 is headlined by the highly anticipated welterweight championship clash between Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry, while Mackenzie Dern defends her strawweight title against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event.
Beyond those championship bouts, however, the card currently features no other ranked fighters. There has been speculation that the promotion could add another matchup between ranked contenders during the final two weeks before fight night.
With Geoff Neal now off the card and no replacement yet secured for Njokuani, UFC 330 currently stands at 11 scheduled fights.
Current UFC 330 Fight Card
Main Event
- Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry — Welterweight Championship
Co-Main Event
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson — Strawweight Championship
Confirmed Bouts
- Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics (Lightweight)
- Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore (Middleweight)
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. TBD (Middleweight)
- Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai (Welterweight)
- Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (Welterweight)
- Jalin Turner vs. Kaue Fernandes (Lightweight)
- Charles Johnson vs. Jose Ochoa (Flyweight)
- Rafael Tobias vs. Lucas Fernando (Light Heavyweight)
- Donte Johnson vs. Eric McConico (Middleweight)
