Neil Magny picked up what may have been the biggest win of his professional MMA career at UFC 207 when he defeated former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks by decision. While Magny did get the win, it came against a fighter who missed weight in Hendricks, something Magny wished wouldn’t happen.
“I was hoping 100 percent that he’d make weight so I didn’t have to hear, ‘Oh well, you fought a guy who didn’t make weight. He was broken before the fight came,'” Magny said to MMA Junkie. “I wanted to fight the best version of Johny Hendricks. Even though he missed weight, I feel like he came out here wanting to win, and he gave everything he had tonight. Why I didn’t want to take the fight had he not made weight was because I didn’t want all the excuses that come with that, saying that I beat a former champ who’s on the downward side of his career, a former champ who quit in the sauna and things like that.”
Despite the fact that his opponent missed weight, Magny said that missed weight or not, Hendricks was entering the octagon looking for a win.
“He came out there wanting to win,” Magny said.
Magny is the #6 ranked welterweight in the UFC and the win over Hendricks was the first time he defeated a former title holder in the promotion.