For the first event in 2027, the UFC returns to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Texas-born Geoff Neal is scheduled to compete. He takes on Chris Curtis in the welterweight division. The event takes place on January 16.
Multiple sources have confirmed the matchup to Heavy.com. Neither Neal nor Curtis is currently ranked. Neal lost his last two fights and fell out of the rankings for the first time in seven years. His opponent, Curtis, was ranked at middleweight before but dropped to welterweight for his most recent fight and hasn’t been in the rankings since.
In Need Of A Win
Geoff Neal is in desperate need of a win when he takes on Chris Curtis in Dallas. The former contender in the UFC welterweight division earned his contract in 2017 during the inaugural season of the Contender Series. Neal put together a five-fight winning streak, beating the likes of Belal Muhammad and Mike Perry. The American fighter dropped two fights after the Perry fight, against former title challenger Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny. At the end of 2021, he bounced back with a close win over Santiago Ponzinibbio.
After beating Vicente Luque by knockout, Neal got matched up with the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. In an amazing fight, Neal lost in the final minute of the fight by rear-naked choke submission. Since that fight, Neal has only won once in his last four fights. The lone win came in 2024 against former champion Rafael Dos Anjos due to a leg injury. Neal was finished in his most recent two fights against Uros Medic and Carlos Prates. He now takes on Chris Curtis and needs a win to climb back into the welterweight rankings.
Still Going Strong
The 39-year-old Chris Curtis is one of the most experienced fighters in the welterweight division. The former CES MMA champion tried to get into the UFC in 2018 on the Contender Series. Curtis impressed many with an amazing finish over Sean Lally in the third round. Unfortunately, Dana White wasn’t impressed and decided to not sign Curtis. Curtis was heartbroken and signed with the PFL. Curtis retired twice in 2019, but almost immediately came back from those decisions. After four more wins on the regional scene, Curtis finally got his opportunity to fight in the UFC. ‘Action Man’ debuted with a big knockout win over Phil Hawes. After that win, he also knocked out Brendan Allen and stopped BJJ ace Rodolfo Vieira via unanimous decision.
His winning streak ended against Jack Hermansson in 2022, dropping a unanimous decision. Since that moment, Curtis has struggled to put together wins in the Octagon. In his next six fights, Curtis only beat Joaquin Buckley by knockout and Marc-André Barriault by split decision. Curtis decided last year to drop down in weight to the welterweight division. In his promotional welterweight debut, he beat Max Griffin after three rounds by unanimous decision. Unfortunately for Curtis, he lost his most recent fight to Myktybek Orolbai. A win over Geoff Neal would earn Curtis possibly a new opportunity against someone in the top 20 of the division.
UFC Dallas – January 16
- Chidi Njokuani vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
- Geoff Neal vs. Chris Curtis
Welterweight Fan Favorites Meet at UFC Dallas