A little more than two weeks away from a big fight, Geoff Neal spent the day in a Texas jail.
Neal, 31, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying a weapon in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving.
According to a Collin County Sheriff’s Office document obtained by MMA Junkie, the Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Neal at 3:47 a.m. on Nov. 25. He was booked into the Collin County Jail in McKinney, with his bond amount set at $1,000 for each offense. Neal was released at 8:08 p.m.
No other details are available at this time, but the Texas Department of Public Safety has confirmed receipt of MMA Junkie’s request for an offense report.
Neal declined to comment when reached by MMA Junkie.
Neal (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is slated to fight Santiago Ponzinibbio next Saturday, Dec. 11 on the UFC 269 main card. A UFC official did not respond to MMA Junkie’s request for comment on the situation.
Neal finds himself on the first skid of his career after losing his past two fights. He dropped a unanimous decision to Stephen Thompson in a UFC Fight Night headliner on Dec. 19, 2020, followed by a unanimous decision to Neal Magny this past May. Prior to that, Neal had been on a seven-fight winning streak that included wins over Belal Muhammad and Mike Perry.
In August 2020, Neal detailed having to overcome septicemia, which put him in the intensive care unit for almost a week. After the loss to Magny, Neal said that his “body hasn’t been right” since dealing with the life-threatening blood infection.
