Neil Magny was well aware of the story at UFC 297.
As a permanent figure in the welterweight rankings, the 36-year-old veteran has remained one of the top 15 fighters in the world for several years. But he’s never quite gotten close to a title shot. In many ways, he serves as the measuring stick for welterweights who can potentially challenge for UFC gold.
That’s exactly how it worked out for fighters who defeated Magny like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry, and Magny expects he was being set up the same way in his fight against Mike Malott at UFC 297.
“It’s very evident what’s happening here,” Magny said on The MMA Hour. “I’m fighting a guy who’s undefeated in the UFC, he’s a young up-and-comer, fighting in his backyard. It’s absolutely an opportunity for him to break into the rankings by beating me, and I welcome that kind of adversity with open arms.”
At the time, Malott sported a 3-0 record in the UFC, with all three fights ending by knockout or submission. He was widely considered Canada’s best prospect, which is likely why he got a main card spot on the pay-per-view against an established veteran.
After falling to Garry in fairly lopsided fashion in his previous outing, Magny understood why the UFC matched him up against Malott. He’s been there before, and Magny took no offense to the method behind the madness for UFC matchmakers.
“At the end of the day, that’s just the way that the cards lay, so to speak,” Magny explained. “My last fight, I came up short. For me to get an opportunity to fight someone ranked in the top 10, top five, whatever else it may be, I have to go out there and get another win. Just beating an average Joe wouldn’t really make that big of a statement. I have to go and face some of these up-and-comers that are looking to break into the rankings, so to speak, and I have to do it in very impressive fashion.
“So when the fight was offered to me and I saw who the opponent was, and I saw that it was in Canada, all that kind of stuff, it was very evident what the game plan was, as far as promoting goes. But I welcome that pressure with open arms.”
For two rounds, it looked like the UFC’s strategy was paying off. Malott dominated the fight with a blistering series of kicks that chewed away at Magny’s legs before taking the action to the canvas, where he constantly threatened with ground-and-pound and submissions.
With five minutes remaining, it looked as if Malott would cruise to victory, but Magny’s coaches refused to let him give up. They expressed the dire consequences he faced and effectively told him he had to deliver a finish – or he’d leave Canada with a second straight loss.