Geoff Neal on DWI arrest: ‘It’s not as serious as they make it out to be’

Geoff Neal has opened up about his arrest over the Thanksgiving holiday for driving while intoxicated (DWI) that landed him in jail for less than one day. “Handz of Steel” didn’t give too much detail, but did explain what went down during a recent UFC 269 media day, saying he has yet to be officially charged by Texas authorities.

“No comments on what really went down — I haven’t been charged with any crime yet,” Neal said via MMA Fighting. “Pretty much they had probable cause, and instead of doing the Breathalyzer, I chose to do the blood [test]. So, I’m waiting on the results to come back on that and we’ll go from there.”

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According to Neal, drinking isn't a problem for him and this particular incident was just a one night thing. He also confirmed that the weapon he had on him was legal and registered. When you peel the layers, Neal said, the incident is not as serious as people are making it out to be.

“It was just a one night thing,” Neal explained. “Just decided to kick back and relax with my girlfriend. Had a few drinks and then there’s a situation that happened and then cops got involved. I did have my weapon on me. My weapon, it’s legal. It’s licensed in my name. They made it look like I had a MAC-10 in my lap, driving around drunk or something.

“It’s not as serious as they make it out to be,” he continued. “It’s not like I was drunk off my ass, hungover, just running the streets. It was a one-time thing.”

The talented Welterweight dismissed any notion that his arrest will be any distraction ahead of his scheduled showdown against Santiago Ponzinibbio this Saturday (Dec. 11, 2021) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Not really [a distraction],” Neal said. “It is what it is. I’m the dumbass that did that so I’ve got to deal with it.”

Neal is coming into the fight on a two-fight losing streak with his last victory coming against Mike Perry at UFC 245 in Dec. 2019.

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