Latest news with #UFC319Embedded
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Geoff Neal shares rare update on wife Kayla Neal ahead of UFC 319 fight with Carlos Prates
Geoff Neal shares rare update on wife Kayla Neal ahead of UFC 319 fight with Carlos Prates (Image via Getty) Geoff Neal, a well-known UFC fighter nicknamed 'Hands of Steel,' opened up about his wife just before his big fight with Carlos Prates. This happened in early August 2025. The fight is set for August 16, 2025, inside the United Center in Chicago. Neal said his wife, Kayla Neal, gives him strong support because she once trained in jiu-jitsu. Her experience helps her know exactly how hard fight training can be. Neal's talk gives fans a rare peek into his private life. Geoff Neal reveals how wife Kayla Neal supports him before UFC 319 in Chicago Geoff Neal and his team recorded behind-the-scenes videos for UFC 319, including episode 1 of UFC 319 Embedded, which dropped during fight week (around August 11, 2025). In that video, Neal said: 'My wife trained before! She used to do jits, and I'm really taking all that, so she has an understanding of what it takes.' That line shows how much he trusts Kayla's own jiu-jitsu background to support him through fight prep. Kayla also spoke up. She described how tough Neal's training week gets close to a fight: 'It's a lot of long days, a lot of heavy training days, especially this close. It's two sessions a day, and he's busy and just exhausted. So, it's just chaotic, and it's a little nerve-racking.' Her words help fans feel the real effort behind life as a fighter. Also Read: 'I Ended Up Deleting Twitter': Ben Shelton Admits How Avoiding Online Nonsense Helped His Tennis Game Geoff Neal makes bold one-round prediction for Carlos Prates clash at UFC 319 Geoff Neal didn't just talk about home life; he also made a bold prediction. He said he thinks his fight against Carlos Prates will not last long. He said: 'Whoever can keep from getting hit is going to win. I really feel like it's going to be a one-round fight. That's my goal. Granted, I'm training for three rounds, but I'm really training for a one-round fight. There is no reason this fight should go past Round 1.' Geoff Neal has already fought big names like Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry, and Rafael dos Anjos. He beat Dos Anjos by TKO in Round 1 at UFC 308 in October 2024. This record gives him the confidence that he can finish this fight early, too. The match with Carlos Prates was first scheduled for April 12, 2025, at UFC 314, but Neal withdrew and the fight was postponed. Now, fans will finally see them face off in Chicago on August 16, 2025. Geoff Neal is letting fans in with a rare message about his wife, and he's as confident as ever heading into UFC 319. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Du Plessis seeks legend status in high-stakes clash with Chimaev in UFC 319
The United Center in Chicago, home to the Chicago Bulls, is set to witness another iconic sporting moment when Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev meet on Sunday morning. South African UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis is aiming to have his name mentioned among the greats of his sport as he attempts to defend his belt for a third time at the iconic United Center in Chicago on Sunday morning, 17 August 2025, at UFC 319. Du Plessis' task won't be easy as he prepares to do battle against one of the scariest fighters on the UFC roster in Khamzat Chimaev. The South African took a walk through the United Center and described having 'goosebumps' before entering the venue on the latest episode of UFC 319 Embedded. The arena is iconic, as the biggest National Basketball Association stadium in the country with a capacity of more than 20,000. It's home to the Chicago Bulls and has the famous statue of Chicago Bulls basketball legend Michael Jordan's 'flying' jump erected inside the venue. Below the statue, the words: 'The best there ever was. The best there ever will be,' have been etched. The statement is widely believed to be true of Jordan by many basketball fans, while for Du Plessis it's what he's aiming to become in the middleweight division of the UFC. He's tread the path to making the claim of being the best there ever has been superbly so far, by going undefeated in his first nine fights in the division and taking big names out on his way there, including Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland. At this moment, the two fighters contesting for the crown of the greatest UFC middleweight fighter of all time are Adesanya and Anderson Silva. Victory for Du Plessis on Sunday against Chimaev — who many believe is unbeatable, given not only his 8-0 record but also the fashion of his victories — will put him in the mix with those legendary fighters. 'Next best' Du Plessis has made no secret about the fact that Chimaev is one of the best fighters on the UFC roster, despite him only fighting twice in the UFC middleweight division so far, beating Kamaru Usman and former champion Whittaker before earning a title shot. His time before then was spent in the welterweight division. 'I never wanted to be gifted anything, I wanted to fight the best of the best,' Du Plessis said. 'Khamzat, as soon as he made the change to middleweight, I knew that our paths were destined to cross, and that's a fight I want. 'For me it's about the quality of opponents. Who did I beat? Fighting guys that are the best of the best, and Khamzat's that guy.' Chimaev has a reputation for ending fights in the first round, with five of his eight wins coming in the first five minutes. Du Plessis, though, is not planning to wear him out initially, but instead take the fight to him. 'I'm not going out there to survive anything, I'm going out there to hunt,' the South African champion said. 'I'm a hunter, not a survivor. I'm going out there to flourish from the first second to the last. I'm there to win in the most spectacular fashion possible. 'The whole world's excited for this fight because it's truly the two best guys fighting each other. Everybody knows Khamzat is the best 'next guy'. I just know that I am the best.' But how's the burly South African feeling after a 12-week camp in preparation for this bout? 'I'm feeling amazing, I'm feeling unstoppable,' he said. Two stars Chimaev, who moved from his home in Chechnya and became a dual citizen of the United Arab Emirates, compared the summer weather in Chicago to his new home. 'Hot weather, [it] feels like back in Dubai,' he said. For Chimaev, despite his massive reputation and the damage he has done in the octagon, this is also the biggest fight of his career. His thoughts on what many fans believe could be the biggest fight of the year? 'They should expect Khamzat Chimaev in the cage,' he said. It's an unclear answer but it is him acknowledging how his star has risen since entering the UFC octagon for the first time in 2020. Du Plessis' first UFC fight was also just a few months prior to that as the pair were little known at the time. Now their stars are aligning for a clash that's set to be spectacular. Du Plessis could write his name among legends on Sunday morning. DM
