Did you know Neil Magny has more 170-pound wins than Georges St. Pierre?
Now, I’m not arguing for “The Haitian Sensation” to move up the GOAT rankings or anything like that, but Magny deserves serious respect for his iron man status. Every once in a while, a guy is able to fly under the radar and build a lengthy undercard resume that doesn’t really hold up to examination — Neil Magny is not that guy.
Magny was knocked out on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) way back in 2012 then went on to lose two of his first three UFC fights. 2014 proved to be a banner year for him, however, as Magny would fight and win five times. Even by that point, Magny was already fighting established names like Tim Means and turning away fellow prospects like 12-1 Alex Garcia.
From 2015 onward, Magny has faced little but excellence. At his peak, he beat the likes of Hector Lombard, Johnny Hendricks, and Carlos Condit. More importantly, Magny proved himself a remarkably consistent test. His skill set has remained largely unchanged over the years, meaning it takes a certain calibre of fighter to figure out how to deal with the Magny problem.
For a few years, it was only elite contenders who could defeat him. Gradually, the bar lowered as Magny aged. Over the last decade, he’s served his role as gate keeper to the Top Five, Top 10, and now Top 15. All the while, he’s been averaging three fights per year and providing an invaluable service to the UFC.
During his span as a company man, Magny has stepped up on short-notice numerous times. He’s one of the go-to choices if a fight needs saving at the last minute. He’s faced a silly number of scary prospects, turning away just as many as those who were able to prove themselves worthy of contention. He’s been the man in the main event several times, and the only fighters to defeat him in the last few years are Michael Morales, Ian Garry, Gilbert Burns, and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Three undefeated contenders and one former title challenger — that’s the modern cream of the crop!
Alas, Magny does seem to be growing road-weary from a decade of demanding competition. He’s 2-2 in his last four, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. His two losses — to Morales and Garry — were entirely one-sided and violent. His pair of wins over Mike Malott and Phillip Rowe, conversely, were extremely competitive and could’ve gone against him.
Morales stopped Magny in a round via strikes, an outcome that hasn’t happened since 2016. It’s perfectly reasonable to think Magny is slowing down more seriously now, but his historic consistency and value for the UFC isn’t being rewarded. Instead, just three months after that stoppage loss, he’ll be taking on a feared rising striker in Carlos Prates.
Prates is THAT GUY right now. 3-0 inside the Octagon and in 2024, the Fighting Nerds representative is a Muay Thai expert with blistering power in his hands. He has the kicking game to tear up Magny’s lead leg and the boxing to put him to sleep. The Brazilian hasn’t lost in six years and very much looks like a contender when racking up KO wins.
Still, he has to pass the Magny test. Can Prates defend relentless clinch work and keep his composure in an exhausting grind? The fight may look like a rout on paper, but we don’t actually know yet.
At 37 years of age coming off a knockout loss, it would be well within Magny’s rights to chase fellow veterans like Alex Morono or even ask for the Tony Ferguson fight. Instead, he’ll take on one of the scariest newcomers in the division who stands a fair shot at knocking him cold, and he’ll do it away from the fans in an empty warehouse.
Remember that moxie Sunday morning, regardless of the outcome.