UFC welterweight Neil “The Haitian Sensation” Magny surpassed welterweight legend Georges St. Pierre with the most wins ever in the division over the weekend. Magny (20-8 UFC) submitted Daniel Rodriguez in the third round of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 214 co-main event, breaking his tie with St-Pierre for most victories in welterweight history.
Now Magny is the first to win 20 times in the UFC at 170 pounds. However, Magny has never fought for a title. Magny still deserves a shot at the gold; especially since he’s never had one in the UFC. Whether its his lack of salaciousness outside of the Octagon or the other personalities like Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington that are equally popular in the gossip rags, Magny hasn’t catapulted to the top of the division like his peers or fighters he surpassed like GSP.
"Georges St-Pierre is the greatest welterweight of all time."@NeilMagny won't dare compare himself to GSP after breaking the UFC Hall of Famer's wins record. 👏 #UFCVegas64 | Full video: https://t.co/ZPJ7jv4Cl1 pic.twitter.com/Cs9wkL4FHo
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) November 6, 2022
“One of the biggest things I had to come to terms with recently is appreciate the guy that came before me and realize that I’m through my own path in the UFC,” said post-fight at UFC Fight Night 214. “It’s real easy to add to the mental pressure both in the fight and after the fight is over, where you feel like you kind of came up short or could’ve done better when you’re constantly comparing yourself to other people.
“I believe Georges St-Pierre is the greatest welterweight of all time. It was cool to get to the point where I have the most wins in UFC right now, but I have to accept his career is far different from mine.”
The now-retired St-Pierre was a former two-division UFC champion, a UFC Hall of Famer, and one of the most famous athletes to ever come out of Canada;
“I can’t look at Georges St-Pierre’s career and what he’s done in the sport and feel like I fell short or I didn’t accomplish enough, because that’s just added mental pressure I didn’t need,” Magny continued. “If I start to buy into the hype and constantly comparing myself to GSP, when the day does come that I walk away from it, I may have a dark shadow over it like, ‘OK, you had a great career. But you weren’t GSP.’ I know I’m not GSP. I’m Neil Magny and I’m carving my own way in the record books and blazing a path for myself.”
What a way to set the UFC welterweight record!👏@NeilMagny digs deep to notch the all-time WW win record with the D'arce! #UFCVegas64 pic.twitter.com/koqfG8fNDn
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) November 6, 2022
Magny still should be in line to take on the man at the top, UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards. His dominance over Rodriguez and new record should help propel him toward that goal. After taking the first round, Magny allowed Rodriguez to rally in the second, evening the fight on the cards. Magny finished the fight in the third, locking Rodriguez in a D’Arce choke, forcing him to tap.
“I wanted to get a submission or TKO win earlier in the fight, but shout out to D-Rod,” Magny continued. “He made the adjustments. He did a good job of adjusting, but it was just cool to see it come together.”
Neil Magny has surpassed Kamaru Usman and Georges St-Pierre to become the welterweight with the most significant strikes landed in UFC history.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 6, 2022
In 2014, Magny tied the UFC record for five wins in a calendar year, the most ever accomplished. Fast-forward to today, and his ten years Magny has put in still have never provided a title shot, and although he won’t forget his latest accomplishment, he is focused on becoming a champion, and that is it.
“I want the stamp on my career,” Magny said. “I want to be a champion for the rest of my life. No one is going to give it to me, so I’ve got to go out and get it.”
