Athletes
Neil Magny Still Doing Neil Magny Things
Veteran Welterweight Talks Rallying For Wins, Facing Yaroslav Amosov On Saturday
If there are two things Neil Magny is known for in his UFC career, they are serving as the human litmus test for the welterweight division—figuring out how far an emerging talent might go cannot be determined until after they share the Octagon with the 170-pound stalwart—and rallying to win fights.
In each of his last two outings, the 38-year-old done the second of those two things, bouncing back from rough starts to earn stoppage wins over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Jake Matthews. This weekend, he steps in with promotional newcomer Yaroslav Amosov, which makes it feel like we’ve reach peaked “Neil Magny doing Neil Magny things” heading into Saturday’s 2025 finale.
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“Yeah, it feels good to be back to my old ways — getting back on the winning side of things,” Magny said with a laugh on Wednesday. “Having two big wins this year, two big finishes this year was huge, so when the opportunity came up for me to go out there and test myself against another guy with a proven record, a former world champ, I was like, ‘Hell yeah! Sign me up! Let’s go!’”
As fun as it is to joke with the former Ultimate Fighter contestant and long-tenured welterweight competitor about the signature characteristics about his career, the fact of the matter is that very few athletes reach a point where you could trademark something after them, and doing so is something that has to be celebrated.
Although he’s slipped from the Top 15, Magny has spent the majority of his career stationed in the rankings and facing a steady diet of top contenders, highly regarded prospects, and dangerous new arrivals. He owns the most wins in the history of the UFC welterweight division, logged more time competing inside the Octagon than all but four people, and has spent the last dozen years fighting at the highest level of the sport in one of its most competitive divisions.
And he has no signs of slowing down, changing his approach, or going anywhere any time soon.
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“It feels great being in this position to be honest with you,” Magny said of holding the unofficial role he does within the welterweight division. “History has proven that I’m one of the prominent figures — is that a thing you can say?”
He paused and laughed, the humble competitor not wanting to sound conceited while discussing his place in the divisional hierarchy.
“It’s proven that I’ve been a staple in the UFC’s welterweight division, so to be here 12 years later, still facing these guys is an honor. It’s pleasure to be here and I look forward to going out there and embracing the next challenge.”
Though it fits with the playful portrayal of Magny being the measuring stick for the division, he is, in all reality, the perfect initial opponent for the debuting Amosov this weekend.
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The 32-year-old Ukrainian is a fascinating late-year addition to the welterweight ranks, as the former Bellator MMA titleholder has lost only once in 29 career appearances while earning 20 of his 28 wins inside the distance. After suffering the lone loss of his career towards the end of 2023, Amosov returned to action earlier this year, collecting a first-round submission win over UFC veteran Curtis Millender in March.
“I knew a lot of him,” Magny said excitedly when asked about his weekend adversary. “When it comes to MMA, it’s kind of hard to follow everybody, but I make it a point to follow most, if not all of the welterweights, so guys from the regional circuit all the way up to other promotions; I’m quite familiar with their accomplishments and skill sets and that kind of thing.
Full Fight | Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
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Full Fight | Neil Magny vs Mike Malott
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“He’s a guy I was definitely familiar with. It was a curveball — him getting signed by the UFC; I didn’t see that coming this year — but he’s a proven opponent, a tough guy, and the kind of opponent that forced me to go to the gym and be on my Ps and Qs. I’m definitely looking forward to Saturday night.
“Aw, it’s a great fight!” he added when asked about how he matches up with Amosov. “I love the matchup. Historically, he’s been really good with his wrestling and his grappling, and I know that’s gonna be a challenge going into the fight; being able to neutralize that and deal with that. But I’ve been working on my wrestling and grappling as well, so I’m excited to go out there and test myself, see how I do against another guy who is crafty and skilled at grappling.”
Given that each of Magny’s last 10 victories have either been come-from-behind finishes or decision wins, I asked the Denver-based veteran if it would actually feel strange to go out there on Saturday night and put away Amosov in the first round, trading in his traditional type of performance in favor of a quick, no-fuss night at the office.
“Yeah, it has been a while since I had one of those first-round finishes,” laughed Magny, whose last opening round stoppage win came on May 27, 2018 against Craig White. “It would be great to go out there and get it done, but at the end of the day, I’m ready to go out there and have a grueling 15 minutes if I need to.
“I’m hoping this is not another ‘Neil Magny type fight’ and we don’t have to endure a grueling 12, 13 minutes,” he added. “But if we do, I know I’m the man for the job and I’ll get it done.”
He is, and he has, repeatedly, so don’t be surprised if he does it again on Saturday.
Death, taxes, and Neil Magny doing Neil Magny things; these are the inevitabilities of life.
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