“Very evident what was happening there…” Neil Magny fought Mike Malott despite knowing UFC wanted undefeated Canadian to win

Neil Magny faced the Canadian prospect Mike Malott in UFC 297. Although Magny hadn’t fought for the UFC title, he earned a name for himself with his decade-long career in the UFC. As such, Malott came into this fight to prove his worth against a crafty veteran and earn his stripes in the welterweight rankings. However, ‘The Haitian Sensation’ produced one of the biggest upsets of UFC 297 to claim the victory. Now, Magny exposed the UFC’s thought process behind this matchup.

In his recent appearance on the MMA Hour Show, Neil Magny revealed he knew all about the UFC’s plan. He sensed he was set up to lose the fight since Mike Malot was undefeated and the hottest Canadian prospect. Here is what he said:

It’s very evident what’s happening here. 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.

Neil Magny (via The MMA Hour)

Facing an up-incomer wasn’t a new task for Neil Magny as he had earlier faced two undefeated fighters in Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry. But he didn’t yield the desired result in those fights. Now, he turned the tables as he beat Mike Malott via TKO with just 15 seconds remaining in the fight.

Mike Malott came into the fight with three impressive finishes in the UFC. Also, he was a huge betting favorite. But Magny, who lost his previous fight devastatingly, bounced back to produce an upset win in Canada. As such, he made a statement and defended his #13 ranked position in the UFC welterweight division.

Neil Magny reveals corner advice before the last round in UFC 297

Although Neil Magny won the fight against Mike Malott in UFC 297, it didn’t come without adversaries. Entering the fight, ‘The Haitian Sensation’ was a huge underdog and was almost counted out from the fight. Likewise, Mallott dominated Magny for the first two rounds. But things changed in the third round. He revealed his conversation with his coaches before the start of round three.

Neil Magny said his coaches told him he lost the previous rounds and required a finish. As such, his coaches advised him to make it a ‘dog fight’ and constantly push the pace for the remaining five minutes. Magny acknowledged his corner’s advice and went into action.

In the third round, when Mike Malott took Magny to the ground and controlled him, ‘The Haitian Sensation‘ escaped and reversed the position to eventually get a top position. As such, Magny mounted the Canadian and flattened him out to rain down numerous punches. So, after seeing enough, the referee intervened to stop the fight. As such, Magny reigned supreme as the victor and silenced his doubters.

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