Following Geoff Neal’s brutal KO win over Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 59, ‘Handz of Steel’ took to the mic to call out top-ranked UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns.
Neal finished Luque in the third round of their co-main event bout, becoming the first man to knock out ‘The Silent Assasin’ in a pro MMA bout. In the aftermath of the win, Michael Bisping entered the octagon to speak with Geoff Neal, asking him who he wishes to face next after such an emphatic victory. The response was short and sweet:
“I’ve been looking at Gilbert Burns. I want him next. He’s coming off an L. It’s somebody that’s up there, Luque’s 6 (ranked), I should be 6. Who else is in front of me? Gilbert’s not doing nothing.”
@HandzOfSteelMMA pulled no punches in this call out! #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/MIkHLR0f1f
— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2022
Gilbert Burns accepts Geoff Neal’s callout
Shortly after the callout, Gilbert Burns, who is a close friend and training partner with Luque, responded. ‘Durinho’ stated he would be interested in the matchup, assuming the fight with Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal does not come to fruition. In a Twitter post, he had the following to say:
“Finally someone called me out! About time! Congrats @handzofsteelmma. Let’s see if Jorge will show up! Otherwise we might dance #UFCVegas59.”
Finally someone called me out! About time! Congrats @handzofsteelmma
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 7, 2022
Gilbert Burns is currently coming off an extremely competitive decision loss to the rapidly rising welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev. He sits at No.4 in the 170lb top 15, likely just ahead of Neal come the Tuesday rankings update. A fight with Neal would make a lot of sense, as well as giving Burns a chance to avenge his fallen teammate.