UFC welterweight Geoff Neal was arrested for drinking and driving on Thanksgiving. This is according to TMZ, who obtained information from police.

Neal was arrested on the charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon. TMZ reported that the UFC fighter was in possession of a firearm when he was detained by police early Thanksgiving morning. He was released just after 8 p.m. the same night.

This is bad publicity and potentially bad news for the UFC, which is set to feature Neal's matchup against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269 this coming Saturday.

On Thursday, Neal spoke about the upcoming match to ClutchPoints. “I've been trying to fight him for a while,” Neal said regarding Ponzinibbio. He told host Lucas Grandsire that he feels great and he is looking forward to it.  With that, it looks like his recent charges aren't interfering with the pay-per-view event.

The UFC addressed the situation and said that his fight at UFC 269 is still set as scheduled. Neal and his attorney Brandon Barnett have denied the charges against him. They believe that bloodwork results will reveal that his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was within the legal limit to drive. Barnett also claims that the firearm in Neal's car at the time of his arrest was licensed.