Geoff Neal went the distance with Stephen Thompson but reveals he couldn’t see out of his right eye for four rounds of the fight.
In the main event of UFC Vegas 17, Neal suffered his first loss in the UFC as Thompson won every single round to win a decision. However, it was a tough fight week for “Handz of Steel” who lost his head coach to COVID-19 and couldn’t see in his right eye for four rounds.
“I want to take the time to thank all my supporters and friends. I haven’t replied to everyone but just know I love y’all! Not the outcome I wanted but I had fun nonetheless. Some much adversity dealing leading up to this fight.. sepsis, congestive heart failure, 3 of my corners testing positive for covid, with one of them being the general @sayifsaud, but I still made that walk and fought that fight. Couldn’t see out of my right eye for 4 rounds and still managed to hang in there with a guy whose been kicking ass since I was like 9yrs old lol. I don’t know about y’all but I’m proud of me! Shoutout to my teammates and coaches who did everything to get me ready for this moment. And big shout out to @wonderboymma. True definition of a martial artist. Never stop being you my man. And tell your pops I said thanks for the water. P.S this is not an excuse @wonderboymma is good af lol,” Neal wrote on Instagram.
Geoff Neal is now 13-3 as a pro and 5-1 in the UFC. Although he suffered his first loss inside the Octagon he did have some moments in the fight. He landed a few solid punches and showed he could be a top-10 contender.
With the loss, Neal will likely need to fight someone ranked below him and look to build himself back up in 2021.
