Top-10 UFC fighter responds to fan after being spotted working as a server at the Texas Roadhouse in Grand Prairie
UFC fighter pay is always a hot topic amongst MMA fans and journalists alike, with many observers believing the promotion’s athletes to be underpaid.
This year, for instance, saw heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou vacate his title and depart the promotion after failing to come to financial terms with them.
Dana White details what led to Francis Ngannou's exit from the UFC. https://t.co/31Ag9PYhwU
A 2022 report by ABC News, meanwhile, suggested that only 20% of the promotion’s revenue goes to the fighters.
It’s a well-known fact that because of the relatively low entry pay offered by the promotion, many of the UFC’s fighters work second jobs. Former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, for instance, still works in his native Ohio as a firefighter.
Recently, another high-level fighter, No.8-ranked welterweight Geoff Neal, was spotted working a second job. According to an X user, ‘Handz of Steel’ was seen serving at a restaurant called the Texas Roadhouse.
“Saw UFC welterweight Geoff Neal working as a server at the Texas Roadhouse in Grand Prairie. Dana need to pay these fighters mann”
Saw UFC welterweight Geoff Neal working as a server at the Texas Roadhouse in Grand Prairie. Dana need to pay these fighters mann
However, Neal later took to his own X account to state that he had no issue with his pay from fighting. Instead, he claimed he was just “working to stay busy."
“Not a pay issue on my side. Just working to stay busy. I tend to do stupid sh*t when I’m not busy.”
@DaBronco12 Not a pay issue on my side. Just working to stay busy. I tend to do stupid shit when I'm not busy 😅😅😅
Neal then encouraged the X user, who is clearly a fan, to “say what’s up next time."
@DaBronco12 Say what's up next time 😂
Geoff Neal's next UFC fight: When is ‘Handz of Steel’ fighting again?
Geoff Neal’s last fight in the UFC saw him lose to Shavkat Rakhmonov via third-round submission. ‘Handz of Steel’ missed weight by four pounds for the bout, which was scheduled to take place at the 170-pound welterweight limit.
𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙇 𝘿𝙀𝘼𝙇! 🔥
Shavkat Rakhmonov and Geoff Neal gave us 3-rounds of incredible action at #UFC285 😮💨 https://t.co/x5TIqpbdcP
Despite the promotion’s rules usually stating that a fighter who misses weight will not be eligible for a post-fight bonus award, Neal still made an extra $50k for his efforts against Rakhmonov.
Dana White explained this by stating the following:
“After that fight, I was like, I don’t give a sh*t if he made weight or not, man. We’re paying that dude 50 grand. That was incredible, both guys had incredible heart, and you just couldn’t watch a better fight than that. It was awesome, and I love that sh*t.”
Watch Dana White discuss Neal’s fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov below:
This may partially explain why Neal has no issue with his paycheck from the promotion. ‘Handz of Steel’ was expected to fight Ian Machado Garry at UFC 292. However, he was forced to pull out due to an injury and was replaced by Neil Magny.
The UFC rebooked their meeting and Neal will take on Garry at UFC 298 on Feb. 17, 2024.