Geoff Neal thinks UFC 319 fight with Carlos Prates will be short and sweet

Geoff Neal believes he’ll make it a quick night against Carlos Prates at UFC 319.

Neal and Prates were supposed to collide sooner, but “Handz of Steel” was removed from the matchup. The welterweight clash has been rebooked for UFC 319 on Saturday, and fans are expecting fireworks. Neal is looking to maintain his spot in the top 10 of the UFC welterweight rankings. Prates currently holds the No. 12 spot.

Ahead of this weekend’s showdown, Neal spoke to Home of Fight and he revealed that he doesn’t expect the fight to go past the opening frame (via MMAJunkie).

“Whoever can keep from getting hit is going to win,” Neal said in an interview with Home of Fight. “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.”

Neal is always dangerous on the feet, having won 16 of his pro MMA bouts via knockout. Neal is 4-3 when he fights go to a decision. He doesn’t plan to let the judges play a role in the outcome of his fight on Saturday.

“I see me knocking him out in the first round,” Neal said. “(It’s) probably not going to happen in the beginning, but it’s going to be probably in the last couple of minutes, maybe three minutes. That’s the goal: Get in there, wear him out, put volume on him and then put him down.”

Prates likely has his own plans to finish the fight early. In his 21 career wins, “The Nightmare” has racked up 16 knockouts. He was riding an 11-fight winning streak before dropping a unanimous decision to Ian Machado Garry in his last outing. He’ll be hoping to get back in the win column and boost his place in the rankings.