Athletes
Neil Magny Has A Point To Prove
Neil Magny Challenges Daniel Rodriguez At UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Lemos
On the cusp of breaking into the welterweight division’s elite, Neil Magny has hovered in and out of a Top 15 slot for nearly the last decade.
The nine-year UFC veteran has been given many chances to crack into the Top 5, but just as he puts together an impressive win streak, a setback brings him right back to where he started. In June, Magny had one of those opportunities at UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot.
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Facing off against Shavkat Rakhmonov, an undefeated prospect and current No. 10 welterweight in the world, a win would prove that Magny’s skill set was worthy of being tested against the best of the best.
Yet despite riding a two-fight win streak into the contest and looking at his best in both of those performances, nine grueling minutes of control time in the first two rounds capped off with a guillotine choke by Rakhmonov caused Magny to question if a fault in his preparation was limiting his potential in the Octagon.
“Not to take anything away from Shavkat, he did a great job and the guy is undefeated for a reason, but the reality of it is, I was doing way too many things at one time in order for me to do any of these things great. At the time going into the Shavkat fight, I was under the impression that I wouldn’t be as fighting as soon as I did, I just had a match before then, and the year prior I had about 18 months between fights so [I thought] I’d have a longer break in between. When the fight offer came through, I said, ‘Cool, I’ll do it,’ and when I accepted the fight, I had a lot of other things going on in my life, as well.
“I was in the process of renovating two different properties, my wife was pregnant with our second son, and while all of that was going on, I was like, ‘I can do it. I can do a training camp, train at my best. I can still be present, I can still do all these things,’ but the reality of it is, I wasn’t. I was being pulled in two different directions.”
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Magny’s first step was to limit some of those distractions. Putting his family and training first, Magny blocked out outside distractions. Known amongst his friend group as the problem solver, Magny had to put that on the back burner, and ask to be a last resort option for those who want help.
By limiting the number of projects going on in his life, more time could be devoted in the gym - time he felt was necessary after his fight with Rakhmonov. “The Haitian Sensation” didn’t feel like that performance was a testament to his talent, nor an accurate depiction of the skill gap between him and the Top 10 contender.
Top Finishes | Neil Magny
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Top Finishes | Neil Magny
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“Regardless of where my mind was at going into that fight, [Rakhmonov] definitely pointed out some holes in my game that I really needed to spend time focusing on,” Magny said. “Going into this training camp I put myself in a position where I could actually be uncomfortable throughout training camp.
“I took a trip out to Philadelphia for a while to train with Sean Brady, Jeremiah Wells and the guys out there,” Magny said. “It was very uncomfortable for me, and it was an environment where I was pushed on a daily basis with people who I don’t see day in and day out.
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“The hardest thing to do in this sport is to get to a point where you feel content with certain things or become complacent, and I was definitely in a place where I felt complacent,” Magny said. “You look at a guy like Shavkat, he literally left his home country to train in the US down in South Florida in order to be the best guy out there. Meanwhile I’m flying all over the country doing all this other stuff that wasn’t necessarily adding to being the best fighter.”
Fortunately for Magny, the loss didn’t set him back too far. Given a Top 15 opponent in Daniel Rodriguez, Magny has an opportunity at UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Lemos to prove that those distractions really were the difference maker last time out. In September at UFC 279: Diaz vs Ferguson, Rodriguez defeated short notice replacement Li Jingliang to extend his winning streak to four.
Neil Magny Is Chasing Down Weakness
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Neil Magny Is Chasing Down Weakness
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Magny has something to prove this weekend, and if he can show that in his performance against a ranked opponent, it’d be hard to deny him a fight up in the rankings. Ultimately wanting to be the UFC welterweight champion, an emphatic win over Rodriguez can provide Magny the spark to take his career to the next level.
“I definitely know he’s a dangerous opponent, and he brings some pretty good skill sets to the table, Magny said. “Being a heavy-hitting southpaw boxer, that’s definitely a dangerous game to play with. There’s a reason why he and I are facing one another. You don’t get to be in the Top 15 by being average, so I’m definitely not looking past him at all. I do realize it’s a massive test in front of me Saturday night and I’m excited for it.
“After my last fight, I kind of have a chip on my shoulder and something to prove, and I feel like after his last fight he wants to do the same. There was doubt going around like, ‘Oh, maybe Li Jingliang won that fight,’ so we’re both going out there to prove a point and I think that’s what makes it an exciting fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Lemos took place live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 5, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
