Chael Sonnen recalls the encounter that made him dislike Geoff Neal
It's hard to root against Geoff Neal. The rising welterweight contender is always open for interviews, overcame a near death, and is now set for the biggest fight of his career. However, one person isn't too fond of him.
Chael Sonnen, who is known the 'Bad Guy', had a bad first impression with Neal. He revealed in a new video on his YouTube channel why exactly he doesn't like the UFC Vegas 17 headliner.
"I'm a human being, I can't always get around that. The human being element of it. I was backstage at a UFC event and I walked past this super sharp-dressed dude, he had on this fly jacket, tie the whole bit," Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. "It was this red jacket, fantastic looking. I said to him, 'man, you look sharp tonight.' The guy was on the cell phone and he never so much just looked up, he continued texting who he was texting, he was wearing sunglasses and he says 'thanks.' I turn and I keep walking and I say to (Ariel) Helwani who was the guy in the red jacket and he said that was Geoff Neal. I don't know, a little bit hard for me to like Geoff Neal at this point isn't it? A little bit hard, he could've looked up, he could've quit texting. He could've said 'thanks, Chael.'"
Geoff Neal's UFC run
Although Chael Sonnen isn't too fond of Geoff Neal, there's no denying that he's a very good fighter. The Fortis MMA product is 5-0 inside the octagon, and he is someone many thought would be a future title challenger.
Neal made his octagon debut in February 2018 when he submitted Brian Camozzi. He followed that up with a highlight-reel knockout of Frank Camacho at UFC 228. The win set him up for a good 2019, where he beat Belal Muhammad by decision, and then had knockout victories over Niko Price and Mike Perry.
If Neal can get past Stephen Thompson on Saturday night, he could be one win away from a title shot. Although his story is a good one, Chael Sonnen won't be rooting for him.