Tag: Geoff Neal

Exclusive | Vicente Luque Excited By The Prospect Of A Stand-up War With “Tricky Southpaw” Geoff Neal

Vicente LuqueUFC Vegas 59’s co-main event is shaping up to be an all-time welterweight classic, as Vicente Luque prepares to take on Geoff ‘Handz of Steel’ Neal. Vicente Luque recently sat down with LowKickMMA to discuss his upcoming fight with Neal. Luque’s most recent performance was a loss to Belal Muhammad, who stifled ‘The Silent Assassin’s’ […]

Vicente Luque

UFC Vegas 59’s co-main event is shaping up to be an all-time welterweight classic, as Vicente Luque prepares to take on Geoff ‘Handz of Steel’ Neal.

Vicente Luque recently sat down with LowKickMMA to discuss his upcoming fight with Neal. Luque’s most recent performance was a loss to Belal Muhammad, who stifled ‘The Silent Assassin’s’ lethal striking with a something wrestle-heavy approach. However, against Neal, Luque believes he has found an opponent willing to go blow for blow with him in the striking department. Speaking with Mike Owens, he stated that:

“He just pushes forwards. I think that, in a way, is a similar style to me. It’s keeping it simple but going at it. Fighting, actually fighting. That’s what I think is his biggest tool, and at the same what excites me the most about this fight. I know that he’s going to come to fight and that’s something I enjoy. That’s a challenge for me. I know he’s gonna want to take my head off, he’s gonna want to knock me out. Because he trusts his power, he trusts his game. And that’s the same as what I’m gonna be looking to do in that fight.”

Vicente Luque does not that Neal’s southpaw stance may offer him some issues, but it is nothing new to ‘The Silent Assassin.’

“So this is a fight that excites me. I think the trickiest thing he has going for him is the fact that he’s a southpaw. But I think maybe it’s going to be the sixth or fifth southpaw that I’m gonna fight in the UFC… It’s always tricky but it’s something that I’ve lived before.”

“I do anticipate that we’re going to strike. I do think that his style and who he is, at least as a fighter, when I watch him I like to watch his fights, I think he’s not the guy to shy out from a good striking battle. So I think he will come to try and knock me out and see what’s gonna happen.”

Who are you backing in the upcoming fight between Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal?

Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th. News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he…

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th.

News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he had won four straight to get back into the welterweight title picture.

Along with picking up wins over Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa, Luque served as the UFC 268 backup to the highly-anticipated rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Both fighters made it to Fight Night without issues but Luque was the ‘Plan B’ in case either pulled out.

Luque will face a tough task in the form of Neal, who rebounded from back-to-back losses to earn a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. He has picked up wins over the likes of Mike Perry, Niko Price, and Muhammad over his UFC tenure.

Neal earned a shot in the UFC after a first-round knockout of Chase Waldon on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017.

A location and venue have yet to be determined for the planned Luque vs. Neal fight, but it could take place outside of Las Vegas and the UFC Apex. The promotion has slowly but surely gotten back to hosting some UFC Fight Night events around the world, including London.

The winner of the Luque/Neal matchup will move back into the UFC welterweight title discussion and could be one more win away from a potential title shot.

What are your thoughts on the planned Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal matchup?

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th. News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he…

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th.

News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he had won four straight to get back into the welterweight title picture.

Along with picking up wins over Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa, Luque served as the UFC 268 backup to the highly-anticipated rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Both fighters made it to Fight Night without issues but Luque was the ‘Plan B’ in case either pulled out.

Luque will face a tough task in the form of Neal, who rebounded from back-to-back losses to earn a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. He has picked up wins over the likes of Mike Perry, Niko Price, and Muhammad over his UFC tenure.

Neal earned a shot in the UFC after a first-round knockout of Chase Waldon on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017.

A location and venue have yet to be determined for the planned Luque vs. Neal headliner, but it could take place outside of Las Vegas and the UFC Apex. The promotion has slowly but surely gotten back to hosting some UFC Fight Night events around the world, including London.

The winner of the Luque/Neal matchup will move back into the UFC welterweight title discussion and could be one more win away from a potential title shot.

What are your thoughts on the planned Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal matchup?

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

Geoff Neal Says DWI Arrest Is ‘Not As Serious As They Make It Out To Be’

Geoff Neal may have recently been arrested on a DWI and weapons charge, but he is not letting that distract him from his fight at UFC 269.

It was recently reported that Neal had been arrested in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day and was facing mi…

Geoff Neal Arrest

Geoff Neal may have recently been arrested on a DWI and weapons charge, but he is not letting that distract him from his fight at UFC 269.

It was recently reported that Neal had been arrested in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day and was facing misdemeanor charges of DWI and unlawful carrying of a weapon. While he was released on bail several hours later, this did cause a bit of concern about the future of his UFC 269 fight with Santiago Ponzinibbio, which was scheduled to take place just 16 days after his arrest.

Now it has become clear that Neal will still fight at UFC 269 and was tasked with speaking to media ahead of this contest. Here, he opened up about what happened for the first time since his arrest. He did not want to comment much on the specifics but cleared the air on some issues.

“No comments on what really went down,” Neal said during the UFC 269 media day (h/t MMAFighting). “I haven’t been charged with any crime yet.

“Pretty much they had probable cause, and instead of doing the Breathalyzer, I chose to do the blood [test]. So I’m waiting on the results to come back on that and we’ll go from there.”

Geoff Neal
Photo courtesy of Collins County Sheriff’s Department

As far as the weapons charges go, Geoff Neal explained the gun found with him was registered to him legally. He felt that the reports about the situation were somewhat misleading, and were blowing things out of proportion.

“It was just a one-night thing,” Neal said. “Just decided to kick back and relax with my girlfriend. Had a few drinks and then there’s a situation that happened and then cops got involved. I did have my weapon on me. My weapon, it’s legal. It’s licensed in my name. They made it look like I had a MAC-10 in my lap, driving around drunk or something.

“It’s not as serious as they make it out to be. It’s not like I was drunk off my ass, hungover, just running the streets. It was a one-time thing.”

That said, there are fans of Geoff Neal, who may be concerned about his focus on training ahead of this fight, considering how far along he was in training camp when being arrested for a DWI. He assures that there is no reason to be concerned and that it was a one-time thing that was not indicative of how hard he trained.

“Not really [a distraction],” Neal said. “It is what it is. I’m the dumbass that did that so I’ve got to deal with it.”

Geoff Neal will be returning to action this weekend against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. Only then will fans be able to tell what impact, if any, this incident has had on him.

Watch his full media scrum below:

Continue Reading Geoff Neal Says DWI Arrest Is ‘Not As Serious As They Make It Out To Be’ at MMA News.

Geoff Neal Explains Recent DUI Arrest Ahead Of UFC 269 Bout

Geoff NealUFC welterweight Geoff Neal didn’t have a lot to say about his recent DUI arrest on Thanksgiving, but he assures it isn’t a distraction. Just weeks before his fight against Santiago Ponzinibbio, Neal was arrested for driving under the influence along with unlawful carry of a weapon. He was later released on bail after a […]

Geoff Neal

UFC welterweight Geoff Neal didn’t have a lot to say about his recent DUI arrest on Thanksgiving, but he assures it isn’t a distraction.

Just weeks before his fight against Santiago Ponzinibbio, Neal was arrested for driving under the influence along with unlawful carry of a weapon. He was later released on bail after a brief stay behind bars.

Neal opted to submit the blood test results to local police after previously taking a breathalyzer test. Blood tests during DUI stops are arguably more accurate and reliable than the commonly used breath tests.

During his UFC 269 pre-fight press conference, Neal explained what led up to his arrest and whether or not his intoxication was the result of a rough training camp.

“It was just a one-night thing,” Neal said. “Just decided to kick back and relax with my girlfriend. Had a few drinks and then there’s a situation that happened and then cops got involved. I did have my weapon on me. My weapon, it’s legal. It’s licensed in my name. They made it look like I had a MAC-10 in my lap, driving around drunk or something.”

“Not really [a distraction],” Neal continued. “It is what it is. I’m the dumbass that did that so I’ve got to deal with it.”

Geoff Neal Is Hoping To Snap A Two-Fight Losing Skid

Neal is looking to get back on track in the octagon after losing fights against Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny in back-to-back unanimous decision losses. Before that, he was on a seven-fight winning streak that included dominant performances against the likes of Belal Muhammad and Niko Price.

It’s unclear what could be next for Neal as he continues to deal with his legal issues, but he’s hoping to put it behind him as he faces a tough test against Ponzinibbio this weekend.

What are your thoughts on Geoff Neal’s UFC return this weekend?

Geoff Neal Arrested On DWI, Weapons Charges Days Out From UFC 269

Geoff Neal has experienced a bit of a rough patch ahead of his UFC 269 bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Neal is looking to get back on track after losing two in a row for the first time in his career, by facing Ponzinibbio in the UFC’s final pay-per…

Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal has experienced a bit of a rough patch ahead of his UFC 269 bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Neal is looking to get back on track after losing two in a row for the first time in his career, by facing Ponzinibbio in the UFC’s final pay-per-view event of the year. However, he will be doing so just days after having spent time in jail following an arrest in Texas.

According to reports, Neal was picked up by the Texas Department of Public Safety at 3:47 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th, just 16 days before his upcoming bout at UFC 269. He was arrested on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying a weapon.

Geoff Neal was then taken to the Collin County Jail, in McKinney, where he was processed. After facing a bail amount of $1,000 for each charge, he was released from jail just after 8 p.m., that very same day.

At the time of writing, it appears that Neal will still be facing Ponzinibbio on December 11th. Additionally, neither he nor the UFC has released an official statement regarding this incident.

Geoff Neal is in need of a big win, after suffering back-to-back losses to Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, which derailed his seven-fight winning streak. Prior to that, he was in the ICU for about a week dealing with septicemia, a blood infection that could have easily cost him his life.

Time will tell if this incident in Texas will have any effect on Neal’s conditioning for the fight or is an indication of the way his training camp went.

Continue Reading Geoff Neal Arrested On DWI, Weapons Charges Days Out From UFC 269 at MMA News.