UFC welterweight veteran Neil Magny still has his eyes on the ultimate prize, and he's being spurred on by similar late-career success stories.
Magny has long had the largely unwanted 'gatekeeper' label attached to him at 170 pounds, a weight class in which he holds the records for most wins, most fights, and most Octagon time.
Losses to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Gilbert Burns, and Ian Garry since 2021 have prevented "The Haitian Sensation" from making a push up the ladder. But the 37-year-old has maintained a ranking by pushing away challenges from Daniel Rodriguez, Phil Rowe, and Mike Malott.
His most recent victory over Malott came in memorable fashion, as Magny overcame a two-round deficit to stall the highly regarded Canadian's expected arrival into contention with just 15 seconds remaining at UFC 297 this past January.
And it'll be a similar assignment for Magny later this month, with the New York City native tasked with defending his spot against another up-and-comer in the unbeaten Michael Morales at the UFC Fight Night on August 24. The bout will mark his first fight since signing a new four-fight contract.
The welterweight vet is expecting to have his hand raised, and more than just keeping out the hungry prospects, he still has his eyes on gold...
Magny Wants To Be More Than Just 'Competitive' As He Approaches 40
During an interview with MMA News, Magny looked ahead to his second Octagon outing of 2024 and reiterated his continued championship hopes on mixed martial arts' biggest stage.
Title success at such a late age is rare, but certainly not unheard of. Magny specifically pointed to the careers of Glover Teixeira and Randy Couture, both of whom had gold wrapped around their waist after passing 40.
I have the opportunity to go out there and show them (UFC) I'm still able to be one of the best guys in the world," Magny said. "Realistically, I have to look at what some of the guys have done before; look at guys like Glover Teixeira and that kind of thing. Glover Teixeira was not only able to be competitive well into his early forties, but also win a championship at 42.
So, when I look at guys in MMA for longevity, I'm not just looking at guys who were able to just show up to fight and have a coin toss, 'Maybe I win, maybe I lose.' I'm looking at the guys who were able to compete at a high level," Magny continued. "Glover Teixeira, Randy Couture; those guys are the actual examples for the guys that managed to be successful and very competitive well into their forties. For me, that's my standard. Those are the guys that have done it before, that let us know it could be done.
Magny will look to move closer to joining the likes of Teixeira and Couture in the champs' club by making it two wins from two fights against highly touted prospects in 2024.
"The Haitian Sensation's" clash with the undefeated Morales is set to co-headline the UFC Fight Night on Aug. 24, with a crucial middleweight contest between another veteran pursuing late-career title success, Jared Cannonier, and Caio Borralho taking the main event spotlight.
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