Neal: KSI vs. Paul 2 didn't create new boxing fans

UFC welterweight Geoff Neal doesn't think the recent KSI versus Logan Paul rematch created new boxing fans despite the event's high viewership.

"Yeah, it brought new eyes - for that night," Neal told theScore. "But all those people who watched that fight aren't going to watch the next boxing event. They just watched it for that spectacle and that spectacle only. If there's not another sideshow on another boxing card, they're not going to watch it. ... So don't make it seem like, 'Oh, people are going to start watching now.' No, they're not."

Neal (12-2) has stayed away from self-promotion and let his fists do the talking, compiling an impressive 5-0 record in the Octagon that includes four finishes. While the Fortis MMA product doesn't mind the idea of two YouTube stars squaring off, he said they shouldn't be the main focus. The undercard of their Nov. 9 event featured two WBO title matches.

"They could have been on the card to bring eyes to the sport, but don't make them the main event," Neal explained. "Put them somewhere else on the card. ... Putting them on the main event kind of, like, puts a circus act above what the sport's actually about, which is fighting, you know?"

Neal is scheduled to face Mike Perry at UFC 245 on Dec. 14, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Watch the full interview with Neal below and subscribe to theScoreMMA YouTube channel here.