We deserved more - Geoff Neal on UFC housing athletes at underwhelming hotels during COVID-19 

Geoff Neal spoke up about the treatment UFC fighters received during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the viral outbreak, the UFC has imposed strict measures to keep their fighters healthy for their upcoming fights. However, some were unhappy that they were housed at Marriott's Residence Inn, which is considered a mid-level hotel.

During a conversation with Ariel Helwani on an episode of The MMA Hour, Neal talked about what it was like staying in the property for quarantine. The No.8-ranked UFC welterweight said:

"We had nothing to do. It was super boring. It didn't feel like a fight week when I was at the Residence Inn. It's as if I'd rather get my own hotel or something, but you had to be there for COVID, whatever. I agree with that, I feel like we did deserve a little bit more than that."

Then again, Neal said he was still grateful and that the company merely "did what they had to do." Overall, Neal believes that what was most important was that the UFC kept the fighters on the payroll:

"But the UFC did what they had to do and they kept fights going in a time when they could've just said they were laying us all off and wait until COVID was over."

Check out Geoff Neal's comments in the clip below:

---

Geoff Neal opens up about his recent health scare

Geoff Neal recently earned a notable win against top contender Vicente Luque and received a massive ratings boost in the welterweight rankings. 'Handz of Steel' revealed that his UFC Vegas 59 win was a huge step towards overcoming his anxieties.

During an interview with MMA Underground, Neal recounted what it was like to fight Luque as he continues to grapple with his fear of reinjuring himself:

"One of the things, with sepsis came congestive heart failure and my kidneys shut down, so there’s been this fear of gassing out, this fear of dying from being too tired that I’m slowly trying to get over. It kind of hit in the second round, it happens, and my coach pulled me out of it and I took over the third round."

Catch Geoff Neal's interview below:

Neal is in the middle of a career resurgence as he now owns back-to-back wins over a couple of notable contenders. The Texas native also mentioned that he was hoping for another high-level matchup, singling out Gilbert Burns as his preferred opponent.