Neil Magny vs. Phil Rowe: UFC Fight Night Odds, Prediction
The final prelim fight of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Jacksonville, Florida comes from the welterweight division as No. 11 contender Neil Magny faces unranked Phil Rowe.
Magny is a -180 favourite to win on the MMA odds, while Rowe is a +135 underdog.
Neil Magny UFC Fight Night Odds
Magny is a veteran UFC fighter who has been a staple in the welterweight division over the last decade. He has a 27-10 career record since his professional MMA debut in 2010, including a 20-9 record in the UFC since 2013. Despite owning the record for the most career welterweight victories in UFC history, the 35-year-old has never been given a title fight or an interim title fight.
Magny has made a career out of going the distance in fights, winning by decision more times than knockout and submission combined. Overall, he has 16 victories by decision, seven by knockout and four by submission. Notable opponents he has defeated include UFC legends like Johny Hendricks, Carlos Condit and Robbie Lawler, who are all former welterweight champions or interim champions.
“The Haitian Sensation” is tied for the most UFC wins in a calendar year with five victories in 2014. He’s been a bit hit-or-miss since that success, however, and hasn’t strung together more than three consecutive wins since 2015. Magny has dropped two of his last three fights. His last fight in January ended in a submission loss (arm-triangle choke) against Gilbert Burns.
Magny holds a one-inch leg reach advantage in this fight. He averages 3.59 significant strikes landed per minute with 46 per cent accuracy. He also averages 2.4 takedowns per 15 minutes with 42 per cent accuracy and 56 per cent takedown defence.
Magny has only lost two fights in a row one time in his career and that was 10 years ago in his early UFC days. His record may look spotty over the last few years, but it is important to recognize he has really only fallen to the highest-level talent in the welterweight division. This fight is a chance for Magny to prove he’s still got “it”.
Phil Rowe UFC Fight Night Odds
Rowe has fought professionally since 2014 and boasts a 10-3 record overall. It’s worth noting two of his three losses were the first two fights of his career, so he actually has a strong 10-1 record since 2015. The 32-year-old debuted in the UFC with a unanimous decision loss in 2021, but he’s rattled off three straight stoppage victories since that time.
Interestingly, Rowe has never won by decision and only two of his fights have ever gone the distance. He has six wins via knockout and four via submission. One concern is Rowe’s tendency to miss weight. Two of his last three fights were catchweight bouts because he missed weight.
“The Fresh Prince” is on a dominant run since stumbling in his UFC debut. He has earned three straight TKO victories against Orlon Cosce in July 2021, Jason Witt in February 2022 and Niko Price last December. Price was actually winning on points before Rowe’s TKO victory in the third round.
Rowe has a slight half-inch reach advantage, but that shouldn’t be much of a factor in this fight. He averages 4.39 significant strikes per minute with 52 per cent accuracy. He’s less comfortable grappling as he averages just 0.81 takedowns per 15 minutes with 37 per cent accuracy and 52 per cent takedown defence.
Rowe’s biggest strength is his power and striking ability, which he showcased over his last three fights. This will be a step up in competition for him. Rowe struggled at times against Price and Price isn’t on Magny’s level. Keeping this fight standing up is key for Rowe.
UFC Fight Night Prediction: Who Will Win Neil Magny vs. Phil Rowe?
This fight pits a UFC legend against an unranked fighter who has shown flashes of brilliance. Rowe is on the verge of cracking the top-15 in the welterweight division, but he hasn’t shown enough to believe he can defeat someone of Magny’s calibre. Magny wins by unanimous decision.