Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight talents Neil Magny and Mike Malott will hook ‘em up this weekend (Sat., Jan. 20, 2024) at UFC 297 inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
This match up is hardly new territory for Neil Magny. The 36-year-old veteran has spent most of the last five years facing off with top talent or highly touted up-and-comers. He’s derailed hype trains in the past, and surely, that’s the plan here regardless of what the oddsmakers expect. Admittedly, Malott very much looks a cut above the average Contenders Series hotshot. Three fights and three finishes into his UFC career, Malott has demonstrated a well-rounded and lethal approach to combat sports, and he appears primed to carry the torch for Canadian MMA.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
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Neil Magny
Record: 28-11
Key Wins: Geoff Neal (UFC Vegas 26), Kelvin Gastelum (UFC Fight Night 78), Johny Hendricks (UFC 207), Hector Lombard (UFC Fight Night 85), Carlos Condit (UFC 219), Li Jingliang (UFC 248), Daniel Rodriguez (UFC Vegas 64)
Key Losses: Shavkat Rakhmonov (UFC Vegas 57), Ian Garry (UFC 292), Santiago Ponzinibbio (UFC Fight Night 140), Michael Chiesa (UFC Fight Island 8), Demian Maia (UFC 190), Rafael dos Anjos (UFC 215), Gilbert Burns (UFC 283)
Keys to Victory: Magny is a veteran of the highest order, a longtime Welterweight contender who has faced multiple generations of top athletes. He hasn’t won all those fights certainly, but it’s impossible to disrespect his resume and claim he’s faced anything other than the best.
He faces a significant challenge here. Historically, Magny’s issues come against kickboxers able to hurt him at distance and pick him apart — which is how Malott keeps hurting his opponents! Generally, his solution is to force the clinch, slow the fight down, and make use of his excellent cardio.
In truth, that could work. Malott’s conditioning and defensive wrestling remain fairly untested at the UFC level. The same could be said of Ian Garry, however, and Magny failed to get much going with his wrestling, because he was already limping badly by the time he tried.
He shouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Magny has to clinch and wrestle from the first bell, one way or another.
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Mike Malott
Record: 10-1-1
Key Wins: Mickey Gall (UFC 273), Adam Fugitt (UFC 289) Yohan Lainesse (UFC Vegas 70), Shimon Smotritsky (Contenders Series 2021)
Key Losses: Hakeem Dawodu (WSOF 14)
Keys to Victory: Malott is a technician in the cage. He moves well between both stances and has shown an ability to do damage at all ranges, and thus far, his submission game has been both sudden and lethal.
If Malott hasn’t thrown five calf kicks in the first 60 seconds of this fight, something is wrong. Time and time again, Magny has been taken apart by the strike, and Malott possesses more than enough kicking prowess to destroy Magny’s lead leg.
In general, Magny just doesn’t handle getting kicked well. Look all the way back to 2016 defeat to Lorenz Larkin, and you’ll find that Magny can be consistently battered at range by a powerful kicker. Malott can blast kicks from both stances towards any target, and that should give him plenty of time to see takedown and clinch attempts coming.
Then, he start showing kicks and instead firing shifting punches, which is how he scored his most recent finish.
Bottom Line
This is a big opportunity for Malott.
The “Proper” prospect has an opportunity to burst into the Welterweight rankings in his fourth UFC bout, less than two years into his career with the promotion. That’s a fast rise, and at 32 years of age, Malott is more than likely in his prime right now. Climbing the ladder quickly with finishes is the opportune way to position himself for a title run, and knocking off Magny would likely set him up for a Top 10 opponent next.
As for Magny, he’s settled into a gatekeeper role. That’s not an insult, it’s just the reality of having so many losses to fighters younger than him. He does risk losing his spot in the Top 15 here, but then, he’s lost it and fought back up the ladder previously. Does it really matter whether he’s gatekeeper to the Top 10 or Top 15?
At UFC 297, Neil Magny and Mike Malott will duel. Which man will earn the victory?
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 297 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNEWS at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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