Fans around the world were heartbroken Saturday evening when former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, one of the legends of the sport, went down with an apparent leg injury in the first round of the UFC 308 prelims.

No one was more upset than Geoff Neal, who put in a good performance against RDA, scoring an early knockout. Even though the fight went down as a win on his record, the heavyweight contender certainly wouldn’t have preferred to continue winning with his skills and have the bout end because of his fickle mistress named Lady Luck.

Dos Anjos’ options are pretty clear; He can retire, which might be a good idea considering this fight took place on his 40th birthday and he suffered a non-contact leg injury, or he can continue to set the record for most fight time in UFC history against unranked fighters in UFC history. Now.

Personally, I don’t want to see a 40-year-old man compete in two weight classes where he is physically unbeatable. RDA lost four of their last five matches. If he retires, he will be celebrated as a legend and inducted into the Hall of Fame after a one-year grace period, there is no doubt about that.

Geoff Neal, on the other hand, is not making headlines even though he is the winner. Unfortunately, this fight did nothing for him in terms of rankings, but it did enable him to get back into the win column after two defeats. He is currently the 10th heavyweight contender and will need to fight someone close to his ranking.

Right behind Neal in the rankings is undefeated rising star Michael Morales. The Ecuadorian recently won his fifth UFC fight, his biggest win yet, over infamous fullback Neil Magny.

Geoff Neal will offer much tougher resistance as a forward and defensively; He may be the first to truly test Morales in the UFC, as the 25-year-old has had little difficulty with any of his other UFC opponents.

Whoever wins this fight will be one of the top ten fighters in the UFC. While the win would benefit Morales more than Neal, that’s just the way it goes for a veteran of the mid-range fighting against opponents nine years younger.