Geoff Neal does not seem threatened about his upcoming UFC 298 opponent, the undefeated and controversial Ian Machado Garry. ‘Handz of Steel’, who has lost three out of his last five fights (to the top-most guys in the division, it should be noted), is determined to become champion and said recently that ‘The Future’ was just “another body” in his way.

They were supposed to face each other at UFC 292 in August last year, but their bout fell through due to Neal withdrawing following medical issues. Garry’s coach made some unsavory comments about the American, which Neal’s coach has responded to in no uncertain terms. Ahead of their rescheduled bout, let us take a look Geoff Neal’s coach and gym.

Where does Geoff Neal train? Who is his coach?

Before he became a martial artist, Geoff Neal had dreams of playing in the NFL. The Texan represented Copperas Cove High School and even enrolled in Texas Lutheran to continue his football dream at the college level. He became disillusioned with the program after, according to him, he found that others were not as driven as him and because he wanted to be “around winners”.

And this led him to the sport of mixed martial arts, which he had been interested in since he was a child. In 2013, Sayif Saud, coach of Fortis MMA saw Neal take his first professional MMA loss in Odessa, Texas. Despite this loss, Saud was impressed with ‘Handz of Steel’s intensity and invited him to come train with him at Fortis.

Neal took Saud took up on his offer and made rapid strides, making it to the UFC within five years after his successful bout at Dana White‘s Contender Series 2017. Given their close bond, it was not surprising to see him clap back at Ian Garry and his coach for their distasteful remarks about Neal after he withdrew from their bout last year.

Geoff Neal’s coach Sayif Saud hit back at Ian Garry

Geoff Neal nearly died of sepsis in 2020. The American spent over a week in the ICU but managed to recover. Since then, however, he has been feeling the after-effects of the episode and this was the main reason behind him pulling out of fighting ‘The Future’ last year.

However, following his withdrawal, Ian Garry posted a video where his coach, Lloyd Pierson could be seen quipping that “his [Neal’s] p*ssy hurts.” Garry posted the video on his social media with the caption “Geoff Neal has b***hed out.” 

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This outraged Saud, who came out with a strong reaction on Twitter. “I just saw this and find it very disturbing. @handzofsteelmma is working closely with the @ufc medical staff after never fully recovering from near death/sepsis, fans all know.This kid fought @Rakhmonov1994 [Shavkat Rakhmonov] @VicenteLuqueMMA @bullyb170 [Belal Muhammad] @WonderboyMMA [Stephen Thomspon] it is pathetic to hear this,” he tweeted about Garry and his coach’s remarks. Given this and the controversy around his wife blew up, both men are going into the fight with a chip on their shoulders. And that makes for exciting fights. What are your predictions for UFC 298?

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