Geoff Neal did not expect to wait this long in between fights, but he is excited with the way things worked out. The Texan will now fight on the main card of UFC 240 against Niko Price in a fight that promises to deliver.
“It is really cool. Everyone knows it will be a really fun fight,” Neal said to BJPENN.com. “This is the type of fight that I like to see, so I know fans will love to see. Just a great matchup.”
Both Neal and Price are primarily strikers that like to stand and trade. Based on that, the Fortis MMA product knows this has all the makings to be the Fight of the Night and a fight the fans will remember.
“For sure, this has the makings to be Fight of the Night. I am also on the main card so should I do something spectacular I will get the $50,000 [bonus]” he says. “UFC 228 I was on the prelims so you can’t expect to get a bonus there.”
Although Neal is looking forward to this matchup, he was expecting to return sooner. He last fought in January where he beat Belal Muhammad by decision. Since then, he has been in the gym waiting for a fight. Yet, one never came until now, and unfortunately, it was not a ranked opponent as he was hoping for.
With the welterweight division being so stacked, Geoff Neal was unsure if he would get a ranked opponent. But, he believes a win here should either get him a number beside his name or a top-15 foe next.
“It depends on how it goes, and how it all plays out, but I think a win does get a ranked guy,” Neal said.
How it plays out will be simple according to Neal and his team. He believes he will be too fast and too technical for Price and that he will be able to piece him up and either finish him or get another dominant decision win.
“The way I see it is we will both stand and trade and one of us falling down. You never know though. I don’t plan on using my wrestling, he might, but I don’t think he will,” he explained. “If he tries to wrestle, it will not be a good idea for him as he will get tired as I am not an easy person to take down.”
One thing going Neal’s way for this fight is that he is on a new contract that he has signed before accepting this bout. He is ecstatic that the UFC has faith in him, but even with a new contract, he won’t quit his job serving at Moxie’s. Instead, he will head right back to work following this fight — even if he gets a 50k bonus.
“The sport won’t last forever. My payday for my fights aren’t that much where I am comfortable to quit a job. After this fight, I head straight back to work,” Geoff Neal concluded.
Who do you think will win the fight between Geoff Neal and Niko Price?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/26/2019.