LOS ANGELES – Grant Neal thinks big things could be on the horizon.
But in order to see the potential through, he has what is on paper his toughest test yet in Karl Albrektsson.
Neal (7-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) and Albrektsson (13-4 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) meet Saturday in a light heavyweight bout on the Bellator 290 prelims. It’s the kind of win Neal thinks can change his trajectory.
“I think it’s a great matchup,” Neal said at Thursday’s media day. “I’m just excited to show what I can do. My team is seeing everything and all the work that I put in, so I’m excited to show the world.
“Karl’s a great opponent. He’s a veteran – he’s been in the sport for a while. He’s fought some of the best in the world, beat some of the best, and I’m excited to test my skills against someone like him.”
After a 6-0 start to his career, Neal dropped a split call to Alex Polizzi in September 2021. He rebounded this past April, though, with a win over former Jon Jones training partner Christian Edwards.
Neal thinks the more impressive he can be in a win, the better.
“I envision this fight going down in a way that I can show the world what Grant Neal is capable of. That’s it,” Neal said. “Everyone in my gym, they know what I’m capable of doing. Now I’m just excited to go out there and show everybody.”
Check out Neal’s full media day interview above.
Bellator 290 takes place Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on CBS following prelims on MMA Junkie.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.
