If there’s a UFC occasion with a welterweight combat on the cardboard, there’s a great likelihood Neil Magny will get talked about by any individual through the broadcast.
A stalwart within the high 15 rankings, Magny would possibly simply be probably the most known as out fighter on the whole roster, and he has a good suggestion why. It’s not as a result of anyone thinks he’s a simple combat or attributable to different fighters on the UFC roster simply typically disliking him for some purpose.
Magny understands all too properly that it’s as a result of he at all times says sure.
“This final week with the UFC card the place Cory Sandhagen headlined, there was actually three separate fights the place a man tried calling me out or say one thing about my combating fashion,” Magny instructed MMA Combating. “Proper now within the UFC, I’m the man like ‘Neil will combat him’ however that’s additionally the understanding with loads of managers and loads of fighters that in the event that they’re looking for a combat [and] they’re looking for a method to make it into the highest 15 or high 10, let me name out Neil Magny, I do know he gained’t say no. It’s not a shock that I get known as out as typically as I do.”
Previous to the newest listing of welterweights asking to combat him, Magny heard his title talked about by Ian Machado Garry a number of months in the past after he flattened Daniel Rodriguez inside one spherical. Throughout his name out, Garry referred to Magny as a “gatekeeper” to the highest 10 rankings, which may very well be taken as both a praise or an insult relying on the context.
Magny hardly ever will get offended by something a possible opponent says about him whether or not it’s meant as a derogatory time period or not however he additionally is aware of it’s his job to make Garry or anyone else suppose twice about that label sooner or later.
“On the finish of the day, I’ll be my harshest critic so coming from Ian Garry, it’s as much as him to say what he’s noticed,” Magny mentioned. “If I’m a man that form of falls brief towards high 5 competitors and I can’t break free and make myself a contender and be a man combating for a title, can’t put collectively a type of seven-fight win streaks the place it’s little doubt in my thoughts that I may very well be combating for a title — if I can’t try this, subsequently I do flip right into a gatekeeper.
“10 years from now trying again at that, would that be a foul factor? Nah, most likely not. If you could find one other man that stayed within the high 10 within the UFC for 10 years straight, present me that man, I need to combat him tomorrow. On the finish of the day, my aim is to be UFC champion. I’m setting the bar as excessive as I can. I’m doing no matter it takes to get there.”
The matchup with Garry got here collectively on lower than two weeks’ discover after Geoff Neal was compelled off UFC 292, which opened up the spot for Magny to simply accept the chance to make a fast return after final combating in June.
The circumstances would possibly make it look like Magny is setting himself up for failure if he wasn’t already anticipated this precise form of state of affairs.
“[My most recent] combat was an in depth one. Slightly too shut for my liking,” Magny defined. “I didn’t even make it to the airplane but to depart Jacksonville and I used to be already texting my coaches ‘what may I’ve achieved higher? What can I enhance on? What can I do in a different way for the subsequent combat?’
“Earlier than we even landed in Denver, they already had my recreation plan for coaching for the subsequent couple of weeks and I used to be already again within the health club on Monday working in the direction of that recreation plan. There was actually no break day.”
Magny can also be fast to level out earlier than he received matched up with Phil Rowe as an opponent, he had already assumed he could be getting a name to combat Garry.
It didn’t precisely occur within the order he anticipated however Magny has been quietly preparing for Garry behind his thoughts.
“I used to be eyeing this combat for fairly a number of months now,” Magny mentioned. “I truthfully thought I used to be going to get this combat earlier than I received my final combat. So right here we’re a few months later and that is the combat that I needed.”
With an undefeated report together with an ideal 5-0 resume within the UFC with three knockouts alongside the way in which, Garry is perhaps one of the hyped prospect in the whole promotion.
That’s not misplaced on Magny, who comes into the combat with greater than 3 times as a lot expertise however not commanding the identical degree of consideration because the rising Irish celebrity that many have anointed as the subsequent Conor McGregor.
None of that issues a lot to Magny as he seeks to take out one other brash, up and coming welterweight attempting to construct their title off him and possibly silence a number of of these name outs alongside the way in which.
“I’ve to go on the market and make the subsequent man suppose twice about calling me out,” Magny mentioned. “I really feel like that’s the assertion going into combat week — I’m no one’s stepping stone. I’m going to go on the market and show simply that. I’m no one’s stepping stone, I’m a contender and I’m going to go on the market and present why.”
