Neil Magny is ranked within the Top 10 of UFC's welterweight division, but strangely enough, he's not a household name.
Yet.
The rising star based out of Elevation Fight Team is a supremely talented athlete with an outstanding reach and technical skill-set on his side. At 28 years old, Magny is entering his prime, which is partly the reason he competes so often.
The Colorado-based fighter has fought 10 times over the last two years, achieving a 9-1 Octagon record in the process, and he hopes a win over Hector Lombard at UFC Fight Night 85 tonight (Sat., March 19, 2016) enables him to compete opposite a Top-5 opponent next.
From his conversation with MMA Junkie:
"A lot of guys try to weather the early storm, but I feel like if I bring the storm to him early on, it's going to change the tone of the fight. Beating a guy like Hector Lombard feels like it [would] take my career to the next level, putting me in the position to fight a guy who's ranked Top 5 and then eventually fight for a title by the end of the year."
Fighting a guy like Lombard is no joke. After all, he does bring the "Lightning."
Lombard is an uneven 3-2-1 NC since debuting in UFC four years ago. He is also coming off of a suspension for a failed drug test, which turned his unanimous-decision win over veteran brawler Josh Burkman at UFC 182 into a No Contest.
The American Top Team (ATT) staple doesn't believe ring rust will slow him down when he collides with Magny in Brisbane, Australia. Lombard, who is of Cuban-Australian descent, does believe Magny will be looking to avoid his power shots.
That would be accurate, seeing as how he boasts nine-inch reach advantage. One more fine detail: Magny is the slight favorite heading into their co-main event encounter "down under."
Do you like those odds?
For continuous coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 85 card, including up-to-the-minute live results and play-by-play, click here and here.