You either you win or you learn.
That’s the approach that Geoff Neal took away from his first UFC loss, which came at the hands of Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson last December. The bout was Neal’s first since being hospitalized after being diagnosed as septic, and his coaches, including Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud, were unavailable due to COVID-19 protocol.
Even though Neal had to face all that adversity in the lead-up to his bout with Thompson, he never made excuses for the defeat. Instead “Handz of Steel” viewed his first main event as an important experience that gave the 30-year-old Texan confidence moving forward.