After coming up short in his fight against Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 26, Geoff Neal has released a statement after the defeat.
Specifically, a welterweight firefight between Neil Magny and Geoff Neal delivered on a fight card that took several hits. Despite the lack of fights, the card had plenty of action and the night saw Magny reassert himself as a legitimate contender at welterweight. Prior to being paired up with Neal, the crafty veteran in Magny struggled against Michael Chiesa back in Jan. Conversely, Neal was looking to rebound after a loss to Stephen Thompson last Dec.
The 33-year old veteran utilized his physical advantages against Neal, and as a result, came out with his hand raised in a close battle. For the most part, Neal struggled to establish range against Magny. Additionally, Magny was able to work the clinch effectively throughout the fight. Following the tough loss Geoff Neal suffered to Magny at UFC Vegas 26, the Fortis MMA athlete released a statement on Instagram and indicated that he will take some time off for his health and look to return after a vacation.
“Well there goes another one lol. Neal posted. Felt really good in the first round and the second one was close. Even in defeat I’m still proud of this one as well. It was another honor to step in there with another crafty veteran in @neil_magny170. I’m probably gonna take some time away and take care of my health a little bit. My body hasn’t been right since I got sepsis last year. I’ve been dealing with off and on sickness and severe lack of energy since then. I almost pulled out of this fight last week because I was vomiting/diarrhea for 3 days and after having to rehydrate and replenish what my body lost I found myself sitting at 208 pounds exactly 1 week before weigh ins. But I got issues, so I said fuck it and cut 37 pounds in a week anyway. Lol Probably a super dangerous/stupid decision, but nothing great ever gets done trying to play it safe. ??♂️ Gonna go on my FIRST real vacation to Hawaii next week, come back, get some blood test done to figure out what’s going on with my body and I PROMISE you I will be back with a vengeance. Thanks to all my Coaches and teammates who helped my through this camp. And thanks again to @neil_magny170. That was a solid veteran performance “
After a post on Instagram, Geoff Neal revealed that he cut thirty-seven pounds on fight week. A week before the weigh-ins, the welterweight also mentioned that due to the sepsis (blood poisoning) he got last year, that his health was far from one-hundred percent. While the outcome wasn’t in Neal’s favor, perhaps the time off and the vacation will help the welterweight clear his mind and come back reinvigorated.
Overall, the fight with Magny at UFC Vegas 26 was close, and many can argue that Neal landed the harder shots, but the activity level of Magny set the tone for the night early on. In the end, it looks like Neal will take some much-needed time off, and now Magny is in line for a big fight in 2021.
Who would be an ideal opponent for Geoff Neal to face in his return?
