Neil Magny met the media Saturday after his win over Jake Matthews at UFC Fight Night 260.
Magny (31-13 MMA, 24-12 UFC) pulled off one of the crazier finishes in recent memory on the main card at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. He submitted Matthews (21-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) with a third-round rear-naked choke.
But the story of the fight was how referee Jim Perdios stopped the fight with about 1 second left in the first round and appeared to say “It’s over” for Magny, who was caught in a choke from Matthews. But when Magny immediately protested, Perdios allowed him to go to the second round – essentially changing his stoppage from seconds earlier from one in which he presumed Magny was unconscious to one in which the round was over.
Either way, Magny continued to show why he’s been a welterweight contender for years, and now not only gatekeeper, but still a threat. He was the biggest underdog on the card.
“One of the goals I set for myself was to get back into the UFC rankings,” Magny told the UFC after the fight. “I’ve been ranked in the UFC’s top 15 (at welterweight) for over 10 years straight. This was the first year I wasn’t ranked in the UFC’s top 15. Step 1: Get back in the rankings. From there, readjust the goals and keep moving forward.”
One of the UFC’s most active fighters for years, the 38-year-old Magny has the most wins in UFC welterweight history with 24 and the second most UFC wins of all time. No one has had more UFC fights at 170 pounds than him, and he said his professional career helps him structure his personal life – which he implied was a factor in a recent 3-5 stretch that included four stoppage losses.
“I’m really fortunate to be able to be a fighter,” Magny told the UFC after the fight. “Fighting’s one of those things that makes me better at life, so to speak. I can go in there and actually look at the mistakes I made, look at the right choices I made, and directly see how they can impact my life.
“… The biggest thing has been getting my life back in order, getting to a position where I can start thriving and moving forward in my professional career. I had so many moving pieces in my life the next couple years that every day was a new battle. I finally feel like things are a bit more settled – things are a bit more complete. I can actually set up a day-to-day routine and get back to doing what I love.”
For now, Magny’s got another win on his record-breaking resume. But Matthews and his team have other ideas. They’ve reportedly made an appeal of the loss to be overturned based on Perdios’ first-round stoppage-that-wasn’t.
Check out Magny’s post-fight interview in the video below.
