From a viewer’s perspective, Neil Magny vs. Anthony Rocco Martin was a close fight – even if the judges’ scorecards indicated otherwise.
When the dust settled, Magny (23-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) earned a unanimous decision Saturday night at UFC 250 with scores of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
In the opening round, Martin (17-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) controlled the fight early against the cage. When the two fighters separated, Magny utilized his striking – especially his leg kicks.
The second round saw Martin tag Magny early. Shortly thereafter, he got the fight to the ground, but Magny reversed. As the round progressed, both momentum and control swung back and forth.
The most one-sided round of the fight was the third. Cardio became an X-factor when Martin visibly slowed, breathing deeply. Martin ate a series of hard punches from Magny, who ultimately won the fight by unanimous decision.
With the victory, Magny now has won back-to-back fights and four of his most recent five. Magny’s fight against Martin was his second since returning from a 16-month layoff due to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension, which was later lifted.
As for Martin, the loss is his second in three fights. Prior to that stretch, Martin had won four straight fights.
The welterweight bout was part of the UFC 250 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 250 results include:
- Sean O’Malley def. Eddie Wineland via KO (punch) — Round 1, 1:54
- Alex Caceres def. Chase Hooper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ian Heinisch def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 1:14
- Cody Stamann def. Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Maki Pitolo def. Charles Byrd via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:10
- Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 4:06
- Devin Clark def. Alonzo Menifield via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Herbert Burns def. Evan Dunham via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:20
