Neil Magny added a big name to his resume with a unanimous decision win over Robbie Lawler at UFC Vegas 8.
When Neil Magny learned opponent Geoff Neal had pulled out of UFC Vegas 8, he no doubt feared the worst. His fight was in jeopardy. He’d likely be paired up with some unheard of promotional newcomer looking to make a name for himself. And then Robbie Lawler stepped up.
The former welterweight champion has not fought in a year, but remains one of the biggest, most popular names in the division. He represented a huge opportunity for Magny. While many have questioned whether Lawler is on the decline, Magny told reporters during fight week that he’d “be an idiot” to think “Ruthless” was past his prime.
Magny kicked off the fight by working the legs of Lawler. Lawler didn’t waste much time before he looked for the takedown, but it was Magny who got most of the offense off of that attempt. A good sprawl led to some d’arce choke set ups and then some back take attempts. After a scramble left them mostly neutral, Magny dropped down and landed another takedown. He eventually got back to the front headlock position and flirted with some chokes. The round ends with Magny getting the best of a grappling exchange.
A little feeling out kicked off the second, but then Magny brought it back to the grappling realm where he hit an early takedown. After some brief half guard, an awkward turn from Lawler opened up the back for Magny. Magny spent most of the second round in advantageous positions including a near twister. Lawler finally made it back to his feet with a minute to go, but didn’t have much time to get anything going.
Lawler landed an early hook in the third round and grabbed a front head lock. Magny reacted by dropping to guard and locking Lawler up. After a few seconds both seemed to agree to a stalemate and the referee obliged them with a stand-up. Lawler was getting the best of the exchanges with solid pressure, but Magny caught a leg and took the fight right back to where he was comfortable. Lawler eventually made it back to his range, but Magny was there to stifle him with jabs and one mean knee. A little more clinch work along with some jabs put a period on the end of Neil Magny’s performance.
Neil Magny def. Robbie Lawler by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
