UFC free fight: Neil Magny TKOs Craig White at UFC Fight Night 130

When Neil Magny’s original opponent Gunnar Nelson was forced off the fight card at UFC Fight Night 130 in Liverpool in May 2018, the UFC veteran was handed a hungry Brit looking to make a name for himself on home soil. But “The Haitian Sensation” kept his cool to claim a first-round TKO finish.

Matched with a late replacement, Cage Warriors veteran Craig White, Magny had to endure some early pressure as “Thundercat” surged forward and forced the action against the cage in the opening seconds of the bout.

An accidental knee to the groin from Magny eased the pressure initially but, after taking some time to recover, White went straight back to his high-pressure approach after the restart.

This time, however, Magny was ready for it and smartly sent the Brit to the canvas with a well-timed trip, then moved quickly into mount. White did well to fend off a choke attempt from Magny, who then let the action return to the stand-up, where he eventually landed the strike that turned the fight decisively in his favor.

White came charging in to execute another takedown attempt, but Magny defended it well, then connected a solid knee that dropped White to the canvas.

With his opponent still scrambled, Magny dropped down, established top position and connected with a barrage of strikes to close out a first-round finish with 28 seconds left on the clock.

Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) returns to action against Michael Chiesa (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 20, which takes place Wednesday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN.

Before he competes in his first fight of 2021, recap Magny’s victory over White in Liverpool via the video above.