Geoff Neal did not have a very good 2020. The UFC welterweight became very sick and at one point, almost died. He still managed to return to the cage before the end of the year where he faced Stephen Thompson.
The fight ended up not going his way and he lost a unanimous decision. Questions started to arise about his health and how much his 2020 hospital stay affected his fighting career.
His medical issue was a big question mark for everyone, to this day no one knows what exactly the UFC welterweight was fighting. His coach, Sayif Saud, revealed how bad things got.
“For two days, we didn't know if he was gonna make it,” Saud told ESPN. “He went to the emergency room on Sunday [Aug. 2], he was septic by the time he got there. I spoke to the nurse and she says, ‘We need to take him to ICU right now, he's in critical condition.' That's when my heart really sank.
“They said his white blood cell count was 20,000, when it's supposed to be 12,000. His body was fighting something, but they didn't know what it was. They still don't.”
Geoff Neal did fight again in 2021 when he took on Neil Magny. The fight wouldn't go his way as he lost another unanimous decision. The UFC welterweight won't make excuses though, even if they're valid.
“I don't know [how much it affects my fighting,] we will really see after this fight,” Neal told ClutchPoints. We'll see after this fight. I mean if, if I go in the cage and I feel like shit again then we'll really know. We'll see, like, I don't think so. I don't want to sit here and say like, ‘oh, it's because I almost died is the reason why I lost to the last few people.' Which is a fair reason, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse. I lost, was not the better man those two nights, so it is what it is.”
Geoff Neal is taking on Santiago Ponzinibbio in a barnburner matchup at UFC 269 on Saturday. The fight will be an important one for him as he looks to get back on track.
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