Long before he was planted in the UFC Fight Night 140 main event (video), which took place last Sat. night (Nov. 17, 2018) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, longtime welterweight veteran, Neil Magny, was in all sorts of trouble.
That’s because his opponent, power-punching hometown hero, Santiago Ponzinibbio, staggered him with a stiff jab early in the fight (recap), throwing off Magny’s vision and ability to mount an effective offense.
Did the referee, or even Magny’s corner, have an obligation to stop the fight?
“Live by the sword, die by the sword,” Magny said at the post-fight press conference (watch it). “If I’m still in there then I’m still fighting. I’d rather fight tooth-and-nail until the last possible second and give it all I got. That guy has some impressive timing and location on his punches. Santiago came out there with a gameplan, executed it perfectly, and I got beat.”
Sometimes fighters need to be protected from themselves, as well as their opponents.
No doubt Magny is disappointed with the defeat, particularly in such a high-profile fight, but I must say it’s refreshing to hear a fighter admit defeat without the tried-and-true “I had a bad weight cut” or “I got injured in camp” excuses.
The loss is likely to cost Magny (21-7) a spot within the division Top 10. Working in his favor is the fact that he’s still just 31 years old, so there’s plenty of time to rest, regroup, and come back stronger in 2019.
Any potential opponents come to mind?