UFC 308 results: Rafael dos Anjos leg injury brings abrupt end to Geoff Neal fight

Rafael dos Anjos had a birthday to forget.

The longtime veteran and former UFC lightweight champion turned 40 on Saturday, but won’t get to celebrate with a win as an injury led to a TKO stoppage loss at the hands of Geoff Neal in their welterweight bout at UFC 308.

Watch the finishing sequence below.

The official time of the stoppage was just 90 seconds into Round 1.

Up to that point, Neal had controlled much of the action with his sharp striking, dropping dos Anjos early before letting him back to his feet. Neal continued to put the pressure on dos Anjos and after cracking him with another combination, dos Anjos fell back to the mat clutching at his leg. Dos Anjos then gave clear indication to referee Mark Smith that he could not continue and the bout was waved off.

It is not yet known exactly what injury dos Anjos suffered.

Though it may not be how Neal (16-6) wanted the fight to play out, he’ll gladly take the return to the win column after two straight losses. With the win, Neal boosts his UFC record to 8-4.

Afterwards, Neal used his post-fight interview time to declare he intends to keep climbing the ladder for an eventual rematch with UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. The two first fought at UFC Brooklyn in January 2019, with Neal earning a unanimous decision win over the future titleholder.

For dos Anjos (32-17), this marks his third straight loss and fourth in his past five outings.