Neil Magny has been part of practically each UFC period, and with the advantage of hindsight, the UFC Vegas 100 headliner want to see an interim welterweight title struggle whereas Belal Muhammad recovers from his harm.
Magny faces surging contender Carlos Prates in the primary occasion of Saturday’s card on the APEX. After a bone an infection scratched Muhammad from the UFC 310 foremost occasion in opposition to Shavkat Rakhmonov, the scheduled challenger known as to remain on the Dec. 7 card and struggle for interim gold. Magny likes the thought, and with the depth of the 170-pound division in the intervening time, he feels it’s the very best transfer for welterweight.
“I believe the interim title shot simply sort of one of many issues that retains the division transferring,” Magny informed MMA Combating. “It retains all the pieces flowing. With as a lot expertise that we’ve in within the UFC, on this division, it’s nearly unfair to maintain it tied up for thus lengthy. I get that it’s very unlucky that Belal obtained injured. It wasn’t something that he did specifically to steer himself in that place. So for him, it sucks that he’s injured, however for the remainder of the division to maintain it going, I really feel just like the interim shot is critical.”
Magny has confronted Rakhmonov up to now, with Rakhmonov submitting Magny within the second spherical in June 2022. The 33-fight veteran has confronted—or educated with—a lot of the high contenders within the division.
If the 37-year-old had the UFC welterweight matchmaking pencil, he would schedule an interim title struggle whereas Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley handle their enterprise at UFC Tampa.
“At this level, in case you don’t have the interim title shot in his absence,, it turns into a logjam on the high of the division the place it’s like, ‘All proper, nicely, who’s subsequent in line for a title?” Magny mentioned. “Then you could have, arguably, anybody from one by means of 5 ought to or might be in a struggle for that title proper now. I imply, you could have Usman, you could have Leon Edwards, you could have Sean Brady, you could have Jack Della Maddalena, you could have all these guys which might be truly in a position to make a case to be a legit No. 1 contender struggle for the title at this level.
“However on the finish of it, doing the interim title, I believe that’s the best name to make simply sort of preserve issues transferring alongside and permit the UFC to have a couple of extra contenders.”
For Magny, he is aware of he’s far-off from title rivalry—and that’s OK. In his eyes, it’s all about being the very best fighter, mentor, guardian, enterprise proprietor, and general individual he may be.
Whether or not he was supplied Prates—3-0 with three finishes since debuting earlier this 12 months—or anyone else, it didn’t matter. Magny agreed to headline on this card, and on this date particularly, and did so earlier than he had a dance companion on the books.
“It feels nice to be right here,” Magny defined. I used to be simply speaking to somebody the opposite day about simply the totally different eras of of UFC that I’ve been in — from the SPIKE TV days to Fox Sports activities days, to this take care of ESPN. Then you could have the COVID period, and now we’re transferring on to the following period of of UFC. I’m simply very grateful to be part of all of it. I’m very lucky to be part of all of it, however attending to the struggle this weekend, it’s nice.
“It’s an ideal alternative. I get to headline in Las Vegas, UFC [Vegas 100], and it’s Veteran’s Day weekend, and being one of many, like, three precise U.S. battle veterans on the UFC roster at present, having the ability to headline this card this weekend, it’s like, man, the celebrities are lining for me. Prefer it’s an ideal alternative to on the market and symbolize, to go on the market and simply do my factor. I’m very grateful for it.”
