COLUMBUS, Ohio – Neil Magny just wants to fight.
The long-time UFC welterweight still has his eyes on the championship belt, but he won’t let his title dreams get in the way of keeping busy and earning a paycheck in the sport. Magny (26-8 MMA, 19-7 UFC) is coming off a split decision win over Max Griffin on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 33.
Many now finds himself on a two-fight winning streak and is 5-1 in his past six fights. Although Griffin (18-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) had momentum, he was unranked in the UFC’s official rankings, and some thought Magny was deserving of higher opposition. Magny doesn’t disagree, but won’t let his desire of fighting the top of the division get in the way of being an active fighter.
“At first it kind of was and I was like, ‘I want a ranked opponent. I want this, I want that,’” Mangy told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 33 post-fight press conference. “But then life itself is my biggest motivator. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Who the f*ck do you think I am?’ I have a son to provide for and I have a family to provide for. I can’t go out there and be choosy. I have to go out there and get it done. I have a family. I can’t just sit there and wait.”
On Saturday, Magny won tied former champion Georges St-Pierre for the most victories in UFC welterweight history – 19 wins. Magny hopes to cross paths with rising star Khamzat Chimaev or any top-five opponent, but again, his priority is to remain active.
“I definitely want that top-five guy right away, but at the end of the day I can’t wait for them,” Mangy explained. “I’ve seen crazier things happen. Just a couple of weeks ago Islam fought a guy who wasn’t ranked in Bobby Green and he moved up one ranking spot. So if I have to fight whoever the UFC throws at me and move up one by one and find myself in the top five, so be it. I’ll do it. I just have to keep showing up over and over again.”
Neil Magny wants Khamzat Chimaev or a top-ranked opponent, but won’t jeopardize activity