Geoff Neal calls fighters charging for interviews 'entitled'
Geoff Neal recently weighed in on the Paddy Pimblett saga surrounding fighters charging a fee in exchange for an interview with MMA media members.
'Handz of Steel' doesn't appear to agree with the Scouser's sentiment regarding the fighter's right to ask the media for monetary benefit. Neal shared his opinion during a recent interview with journalist James Lynch.
Geoff Neal said the following:
"Why would you want to charge somebody for an interview? I don't know, like y'all [media members] help promote us in a way too. Your interviews bring us new fans. If you don't want to do an interview, don't do it, and don't charge for it. I don't know, that feels like some entitled s**t; charging for an interview. Like who the f**k are you?"
Watch the interview below:
Paddy Pimblett and Ariel Helwani were famously involved in an online battle following Pimblett's controversial podcast episode with Dana White during fight week of UFC 282.
'The Baddy' went off on a rant about the 'snake-like' nature of the reporter. The reporter claimed he wanted Pimblett to do an endorsed interview with him for a 'free one'.
This forced Helwani to dedicate an hour-long video to set the record straight with his rebuttal. The reporter revealed on his show, The MMA Hour, that Pimblett's manager had requested money for an interview that Pimblett had initially suggested.
Geoff Neal believes Jared Gordon beat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 282
Jared Gordon and Paddy Pimblett were the co-main event at UFC 282, with 'Flash' proving to be a more challenging test for the Scouser than he'd imagined. Gordon lost the fight via UD, but many watching the bout felt he won either 2-1 or 3-0.
The result was arguably the most controversial of the year, and fans and fighters alike shared their disbelief at the result.
Geoff Neal was recently interviewed by James Lynch and was asked to share his thoughts on the Pimblett-Gordon result. 'Handz of Steel' did not mince his words as he said the following:
"I had [Jared] Gordon. I mean I don't even know if there's an argument that Paddy [Pimblett] won. But it is what it is. I had Gordon winning. I was super surprised. That's not one of those controversial decisions. That is a robbery. I just hope Gordon got compensated for that, he needs his full purse after that."
Watch the interview below: