Geoff Neal is favored against Neil Magny at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Rodriguez on Saturday, May 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is one of five fights on the main card on ESPN/ESPN+. Magny is 24-8 in his career, while Neal is 13-3 in his career. There are a total of five fights on the main card on UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Rodriguez, with the headliner a bout between Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card on ESPN+. Let's look at the bout between Magny and Neal and UFC picks.
UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Rodriguez Betting
Neil Magny (24-8, 17-7 UFC)
Magny came into the UFC with a record of 7-1 and he has 17 wins and seven losses in the UFC. In his last five fights, he has three wins and two losses. He defeated Li Jingliang by unanimous decision, Anthony Rocco Martin by unanimous decision, and Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision; while losing to Santiago Ponzinibbio by KO and Michael Chiesa by unanimous decision. Magny has been a pro since 2010 and he has seven wins by TKO/KO and three by submission. He has one first round finish.
Geoff Neal (13-3, 5-1 UFC)
Neal came into the UFC with a record of 8-2 and he has five wins and one loss in the UFC. He defeated Brian Camozzi by rear-naked choke submission, Frank Camacho by KO, Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision, Niko Price by TKO, and Mike Perry by TKO; while losing to Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision. Neal has been a pro since 2012 and he has eight wins by TKO/KO and two by submission. He has six first round finishes.
Neal said this to bjpenn.com about his upcoming fight against Magny, “Just keep my pace. I've had to find my pace and be able to keep it and not diminish my pace because I'm being pressured. I'm an aggressive fighter so I've been working on keeping that aggressiveness for the entire fight. As far as his chin concern, anybody can get knocked out. You can have a great chin and get slept in the first 10 seconds of a fight. That doesn't mean anything. Every time I fight, I go for the finish. The first or second round ideally is when I try to get the job done, but if I don't it will be a three-round grind and I'll have to withstand his cardio. The goal is to knock him out in the first or second."
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Magny 3.67/ Neal 4.94
Striking Accuracy: Magny 47% / Neal 49%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Magny 2.05/ Neal 4.93
Defense: Magny 56% / Neal 61%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Magny 2.46/ Neal 0.50
Takedown Accuracy: Magny 45% / Neal 50%
Takedowns defended: Magny 57% / Neal 92%
Submission average: Magny 0.3/ Neal 0.2
UFC Picks
This fight should be competitive and I don't see much separating the two fighters. Neal has said he would like to get the quick finish but Magny is tough and I don't see him getting knocked out. I also don't know that Magny has the power to finish Neal. This has the looks of a fight that goes to a decision, so I will take the rounds to go over.
UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Rodriguez Card & Odds
Women's Flyweight - Michelle Waterson +161 vs. Marina Rodriguez -205
Heavyweight - Philipe Lins -110 vs. Ben Rothwell -120
Women's Strawweight - Angela Hill +143 vs. Amanda Ribas -180
Welterweight - Neil Magny +150 vs. Geoff Neal -190
Lightweight - Carlos Diego Ferreira +146 vs. Gregor Gillespie -185
Middleweight - Kyle Daukaus -140 vs. Phil Hawes +110
Flyweight - Zarrukh Adashev +120 vs. Ryan Benoit -150
Heavyweight - Maurice Greene +158 vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima -200
Welterweight - Christian Aguilera +120 vs. Carlston Harris -150
Middleweight - Jun Yong Park +115 vs. Tafon Nchukwi -145
Featherweight - Michael Trizano +194 vs. Ludovít Klein -250
Welterweight - Donald Cerrone vs. TBA
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