Issue 171

October 2018

Here are some of the important career victories and defeats of Neil Magny's career, as recalled by the man himself.

1. Andrew Tace, Combat USA 30

Many of my losses have been points of change and growth in my career. There was a point when I was 6-0 as a pro where I thought I was unbeatable. I was going all around the country – Oklahoma, Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin and even fighting guys on short notice.

I would go in and fight anybody. It didn’t matter. I just overlooked this particular guy. I thought I was going to go in and dominate him. He ended up catching me in a guillotine in the first round and submitting me.

I was like ‘Wait, what? How did that just happen?’ It forced me to re-evaluate and understand the game even more. It was similar to the Lorenz Larkin situation.

2. Gasan Umalatov, UFC 169

I fought Gasan Umalatov in Newark, New Jersey. I was on a two-fight losing streak at the time. I managed to win a unanimous decision over him. I used my reach and out-struck him.

That win and that fight started a seven-fight winning streak in the UFC for me. That fight changed my career for the better and led me to even greater things.

3. Demian Maia, UFC 190

Fighting against Demian Maia was pretty cool. It sounds a cliché but you win or you learn. After the Maia fight I just got so motivated to work on my ground game. It showed in my next few fights.

I was going against guys that were thought of as great wrestlers and grapplers and BJJ black belts and I was dominating them in the grappling exchanges. I went against Kelvin Gastelum and most people thought I would use my reach to out-strike him. I out-grappled him in the fight and I was able to get a win based off that.

4. Hector Lombard, UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir

That was a fight that propelled my career. The win against him was big. He was undefeated at welterweight. He had never been stopped in his entire career in forty-odd fights.

To go in there against a guy like Hector Lombard and take his best shots and turn around and give it right back to him and be the first guy to beat him at welterweight and to finish him, that was a great feeling. After that fight I was a trending topic on social media for two days straight because the highlight of the finish was viewed so much.

5. Lorenz Larkin, UFC 202

Here it was almost six years later that I was making the same mistake again. As far as complacency, I was winning my fights, things are going well and you think you are untouchable again.

Then the same mistake pokes up again to remind you, ‘Hey dude, you aren’t untouchable. There is someone out there training to kick your butt.’ That person that night was Lorenz Larkin.

It just remotivates me. It gives me a different fire to go back to the gym. I’m not as great as I thought I was. I do have holes I can work on. I do have openings my opponents can capitalize on. I just keep climbing to get to that best version of myself that I know I can be.