BOSTON – UFC welterweight Neil Magny was just planning on being a coach at UFC 292, but now that he has stepped up for a fight on short notice, he plans on teaching a young rising star a lesson.
When fellow contender Geoff Neal had to withdraw from his fight against Ian Machado Garry (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) due to medical issues, the door opened for Magny (28-10 MMA, 21-9 UFC) to fill in. Seemingly always ready to compete on a moment’s notice, signing the contract for a bout that was previously talked about publicly was certainly no problem.
“Even before I got the call I was preparing for this fight anyway,” Magny told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I was initially supposed to be here just coaching this weekend for Austin Hubbard, so when the offer came through to actually fight this week, I was like, ‘Hell yeah.’ This is icing on the cake for me.”
If you ask Garry, the reason people will be tuning in to the UFC 292 pay-per-view event at TD Garden on Saturday evening is to watch him finish Magny in “beautiful, spectacular fashion.” The undefeated Irishman believes he’s the promotion’s next biggest star, and has even issued a four-fight plan to reach the welterweight title.
Magny, who holds the UFC record for most wins in the welterweight division, isn’t sold on Garry’s hype, although he appreciates that his brash confidence and other pre-fight antics are helping to sell their fight to fans. When it comes time for the two fighters to meet inside the octagon, Magny plans on teaching Garry that he’s not quite ready to reach the top.
“It’s not my first rodeo fighting a guy who’s undefeated, a younger opponent, whatever else,” Magny said. “You can name it, I’ve been there, done that kind of thing. So he should have all the confidence in the world. He should feel he’s going to go in there and have a great night. It’s up to me to go out there and literally show him, no, you made a huge mistake. You got a lot of growing to do and put a beating on him.
“There’s like different levels to ass whoopings that come about. There’s the whooping that you give somebody in high school or in grade school. … There’s the whooping you give your son now like to kind of teach him life a little bit. Being a father, I’ve become quite accustomed to that kind of whooping now, and that’s what we’re looking forward to giving on Saturday. I know he’s out there, he’s very cocky, he’s feeling himself, everything else like that. But every once in a while, as Dad, you got to step to him like, ‘Hey, hey, settle down, son. I got this. You’ve got some growing to do.’ I’m looking forward to going out there and doing just that.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
