UFC 292 Clash: Garry Vs. Magny!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight talents Ian Garry and Neil Magny will square off this weekend (Sat., Aug. 19, 2023) at UFC 292 inside TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Garry entered the promotion with a good deal of hype behind him, though fans weren’t immediately impressed. Winning four straight fights is great, but Garry was getting hurt my less-than-elite competition in the process. His last fight proved a remarkable step up in performance, as he precisely battered Daniel Rodriguez in a pretty perfect showing. Magny, meanwhile, retains his status as both Welterweight’s finest gatekeeper and genuine badass by stepping up on a week-and-a-half’s worth of notice to replace the injured Geoff Neal.

Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:

Ian Garry

Record: 12-0

Key Wins: Daniel Rodriguez (UFC Charlotte), Song Kenan (UFC 285), Jordan Williams (UFC 268)

Key Losses: None

Keys to Victory: Garry fits the classic mold of a Southpaw prospect. He’s long for the division and crafty at range, utilizing good setups to land powerful punches. He also has a Judo black belt, which occasionally. makes an appearance in the cage.

He’s won seven fights via knockout.

The funny thing about Magny is that he’s not a complicated opponent. Everybody knows what they have to do! Magny can be diffused pretty quickly if the clinch is avoided and his takedowns are stuffed, yet so, so many prospects end up clinching up with him anyway once a bit of fatigue sets in.

Garry has the kickboxing prowess to torch Magny in open distance. The key, however, will be discipline. If Magny doesn’t just fall over, can Garry maintain his strategy in the face of fatigue and a veteran’s experience? The answer will be telling for his future.

---

Neil Magny

Record: 28-10

Key Wins: Geoff Neal (UFC Vegas 26), Kelvin Gastelum (UFC Fight Night 78), Johny Hendricks (UFC 207), Hector Lombard (UFC Fight Night 85), Carlos Condit (UFC 219), Li Jingliang (UFC 248), Daniel Rodriguez (UFC Vegas 64)

Key Losses: Shavkat Rakhmonov (UFC Vegas 57), Santiago Ponzinibbio (UFC Fight Night 140), Michael Chiesa (UFC Fight Island 8), Demian Maia (UFC 190), Rafael dos Anjos (UFC 215), Gilbert Burns (UFC 283)

Keys to Victory: Magny is about as consistent as fighters come. He’s got an active jab that helps him close distance into the clinch, at which point he really excels at forcing grinding wars of attrition that open up his hard knees and body lock takedowns. He’s vulnerable to being overwhelmed with power shots and elite grappling, but he’s still managed to score some excellent wins over the years.

Against a Southpaw in Garry, Magny has to make a couple of adjustments. For one, his usual low kick won’t be as easily accessible, so he can instead take his right leg to the body or upstairs. Since the jab may be a bit obstructed by Garry’s hand-fighting, Magny could look to lead with his right then jab to close forward.

Ultimately, the clinch is Magny’s path to victory. He has to get a hold on Garry, shove him into the fence, and start draining some of that youthful exuberance. Really, Magny knows what is required to win this fight — he’s done this opposite a dozen other good prospects more successfully than not.

---

Bottom Line

Only the best pass the Magny test.

Garry’s victory over “D-Rod” really skyrocketed his momentum. It’s the reason why he went from random Apex events to main card of a high-profile PPV. People started really believing in “The Future,” and it’s a shame that his match up versus Geoff Neal fell apart. Magny may not represent the same stylistic threat or all-action match up as Neal, but he at least is a step up in competition and potential introduction into the Top 10.

As for Magny, he’s been in roughly the same position — give or take 3-5 rungs on the ladder — for about as long as anyone can remember. He’s won two of his last three, and he should earn serious goodwill for taking a difficult fight on short-notice. He’s not losing his gatekeeper role, not so long as his body remains up for the task.

At UFC 292, Ian Garry and Neil Magny will face off. Which man earns the victory?