Geoff Neal on ‘Wild One’ vs. Niko Price: ‘He’s Hard to Hit Without Getting One Back’
Once again, Geoff Neal lived up to his nickname as he nabbed another knockout win on Saturday in one of the featured bouts of UFC 240 in Edmonton.
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The fight wasn’t perfect, though, as Price had Neal on wobbly legs more than once. The two swung wildly in spurts and each man had his adversary on the verge of being blasted into oblivion. But Neal’s chin held up and he got the stoppage win anyway.
“It was a wild one,” Neal said after his conquest. “I really kind
of expected it fighting a guy like Niko. He’s hard to hit without
getting one back. I couldn’t throw more than one shot without him
throwing back. I decided to just throw some punches.
“I think he dropped me twice,” he added. “But I was able to get my wits together and put the fight where I wanted it. I knew he was only a couple more shots to being out and the ref stepped in.”
Neal’s corner didn’t want him to slug it out with Price and they made that clear during the fight. Even after he dropped his foe and landed some hellish punches in Price’s guard, his corner was loudly screaming for him to get out of that position. They wanted him back up on his feet, to take his time and let the knockout happen, but either he didn’t hear them or knew what was about to happen.
“It’s good to get that experience against someone who’s going to try and take my head off at all times,” Neal said. “It was a good fight for me. The game plan was to stay on the outside and pick him apart. I had to take some shots to get in.”
The obvious question was who he wants next and when, but Neal, knowing he’s still far away from taking on the best there is at 170 pounds, played it cool. Confident as always, the Fortis MMA pupil knows his time will come and he’ll be prepared.
“Right now, I just want to heal up and get back in the gym,” he stated. “Whatever comes next, I’m ready for it.”
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