One of the stars of UFC 319 chooses to maintain another job alongside being an elite fighter.
August 16 is set to be one of the biggest UFC events of the year as the Octagon returns to the United Center in Chicago.
Fans and fellow fighters have been picking apart every aspect of Dricus du Plessis’ matchup with Khamzat Chimaev as the middleweight title fight draws closer.
While this clash is sure to produce some fascinating results, there are several other big contests that have a good chance of producing highlights.
Sean Brady is backing Geoff Neal to stop Carlos Prates in a main card bout between two of the welterweight division’s hardest hitters.
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Geoff Neal believes that working part-time as a server helps him to burn calories and stay busy away from training
After signing to the UFC in 2017 via Dana White’s Contender Series, Geoff Neal quickly started to make a name for himself in the welterweight division.
‘Handz of Steel’ was racking up wins while continuing to maintain his other job as a server, which he briefly stepped away from before returning to it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neal is clear that it’s his choice to keep this up and that working two jobs isn’t a result of how much money he makes in the UFC.
In a recent interview with James Lynch for Home of Fight, he spoke more about this and revealed that there are other benefits alongside the money.
While some fighters may view having another commitment as a distraction from their UFC career, Neal believes that it aids him in some ways, responding to being asked whether he has continued this role ahead of his meeting with Carlos Prates.
“Yeah, I actually work tomorrow. I’ve only been doing like once or twice a week. It’s good money and it also helps burn calories. It’s like an active rest, walking around. It keeps me out of trouble. It’s beneficial.”
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Geoff Neal and Carlos Prates have seven UFC bonus wins combined
When Carlos Prates suffered his first UFC defeat to Ian Machado Garry in April, a lot of fans were hoping to see one matchup get made.
Prates had originally been booked to face Geoff Neal at UFC 314 before the fight fell through, but the prospect of seeing them face one another was so exciting that it made complete sense to rebook.
Both men have a good track record for putting on great fights and producing highlights in the welterweight division, as proven by their past bonuses.
| UFC bonuses | Carlos Prates | Geoff Neal |
| Fight of the night | 0 | 1 – submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov |
| Performance of the night | 4 – consecutively in each of his UFC wins | 2 – wins over Niko Price and Vicente Luque |
When they meet on Saturday night, there will be a lot of fans expecting this one to end before the judges are called into action.