Now sober Geoff Neal looking to begin title run at UFC Houston

Geoff Neal knew he had to make a change.

Neal was going down a dark path as he admitted he was abusing alcohol and substances even during fight camp. So, after five years of constantly drinking or using substances, Neal finally decided he needed to get sober.

“I had to lock in. I’m like 100+ days sober now,” Neal said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “For the past five years, I really had a problem with drinking and substance abuse. It was rough. The past 100 days, I’ve been staying away from alcohol and really locking in. Over the past five years, the longest I’ve been sober is like two weeks, and those are the two weeks before I had a fight.

“I’ve been a mess for the past five years, and it’s amazing I’ve stayed in the rankings through all this shit. Addiction is a hell of a thing. It’s hard to get out of that hole once you fall deeper and deeper. I feel like I’m on the backend of it. Every time I see a drink, I get sick to my stomach. I love how I feel right now, and I don’t want to go down that dark place again. … I’m 35, I’m trying to make another run for the belt. The time is now.”

Neal admits he feels much better in the gym as his power and cardio are vastly improved. He will get a chance to prove that in the co-main event of UFC Houston when he takes on Uros Medic.

“In a way, yeah (the opponent was surprising),” Neal said. “It was originally going to be Kevin Holland, and that’s not a fight I want right now. There’s a lot of gym beef with that one; he hates my coach, and my coach hates him. I had a couple of teammates go over there and start training. So, it’s a little messy. I wanted this fight instead. Medic is a tough opponent, and the co-main event, I’m happy with it.”

Geoff Neal expects to finish Uros Medic at UFC Houston

Although Medic is unranked, Geoff Neal knows he’s a tough opponent and can’t overlook him.

Yet, Neal believes he will be able to get a stoppage win over Medic to send a statement to the welterweight division.

“I see me getting a finish in the first round, if not the first round, we are going to dog it out for three rounds. … I don’t go into a fight like I have to get a finish; if a finish happens, it happens. It is highly likely it happens, and an extra $100,000 on the money I’m making, hell yeah,” Neal added.

If Neal gets the win, he isn’t sure where that puts him in the division. But the goal is to be as active as possible this year.

“I don’t think it really does anything. I’ll leave it up to the universe as to where it puts me and what’s next. … But, I want at least three more fights this year. I want to stay active. I’m at my best when I’m active,” Neal added.