UFC Vegas 100 Preview
The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, November 9th for UFC Vegas 100. The main event will be in the welterweight division between veteran contender #15 Neil Magny and rising prospect Carlos Prates.
Magny is trying to rebound from a first round TKO loss to Michael Morales in August. The 37-year-old is 4-4 in his last eight fights and has followed each loss with a win to remind everyone why he has been in the top 15 of the welterweight division for so many years.
After he made his debut in 2013, Magny quickly became one of the most active fighters in the UFC. Between February 2014 and November 2015, he fought 10 times going 9-1 during the stretch and is one of only three fighters in history to have five wins in a calendar year. He currently holds the record for the most wins in welterweight history with 22 as well as the most significant and total strikes landed in welterweight history.
With a win on Saturday, Magny can move into a tie with Andrei Arlovksi and Donald Cerrone for second with the most all-time wins in UFC history. Jim Miller holds the record for most wins with 26 career victories.
Prates will be the third fight in a row for Magny where he is battling a prospect on the rise in the welterweight division. Why does he do it? “Notoriety. At this point, it’s all about letting it be known that you still stand to be a force in the division, so to speak,” Magny said. “I don’t do that by fighting guys I know I can beat. I get it by going out there and challenging myself against whomever the UFC throws at me. This is yet again another example of that.
“I can easily be like, ‘Hey, do you guys have any 30-year-olds or 40-year-olds I can fight? I don’t want to fight another up-and-coming killer.’ But I know that’s not what’s going to make me happy at the end of the day. I want to challenge myself. Right now, being at the place I’m at physically, mentally, emotionally, I know I can still compete with the best guys in the world. I would honestly feel bad for myself if I were to sandbag and sell myself short by taking an opponent I know I’d beat easily.”
The 37-year-old has done the research on his younger opponent and has nothing but respect going into this fight. “I’ve been impressed thus far,” Magny said. “He has some pretty good kickboxing matches that I’ve been able to see. He did pretty well in his MMA career. Though he’s a young guy in the UFC, the guy has 26 professional MMA fights under his belt. So he’s definitely a veteran in this sport in particular, as far as the skill sets he brings to the table. Knowing the camp that he trains at and his background, I know he’s know slouch. Though I know he’s predominantly a striker, I know he’s going to have pretty good wrestling defense, ground game, and things like that, as well. I know I have a tough test ahead of me and I can’t wait to go out there and deliver.”
What is Magny’s key to victory against Prates? “The biggest thing is being present,” Magny said. “I know these guys are very dangerous everywhere else. I can’t afford to be complacent at any moment in this fight. I know I’m going to be able to out there, out-strike, out-wrestle, out-grapple. I can do whatever it takes to get the job done. For me, it’s all about being present and executing at this point.”
Prates is 3-0 in the UFC with three KO’s and most recently defeated Jingliang Li at UFC 305 in August. The Brazilian has collected a KO victory in his last nine fights dating back to 2021.
The 31-year-old knows he has been on quick rise in his short time in the UFC, but he believes he has earned it. “I asked for the fight because I finish the fights really fast,” Prates said. “I think it’s the main reason, you know? I always finish the fight, and then I fight in two months or something like that. I ask to fight somebody when they do an interview in the octagon.”
What is next for Prates with a win on Saturday? “I have been training so hard, and to be honest, I’m going to fight Neil Magny on Saturday, and then I’m looking for a fight in Australia in February,” Prates said. “Then, I’ll take a little break to take care of my body, my health. It’s good also that I’m keeping training and fighting. It’s good also. But now it’s time to, like I say, to think with my brain, not with my heart.”
Prates respects Neil Magny and knows what a win means for him in the welterweight division. “It’s a huge honor to fight him,” said Prates. “Before I signed with the UFC, before I moved to Thailand, I was watching his fights; he’s a really good fighter. He has really good skills, good cardio, good grappling, and it’s an honor to fight against him.
“He looks like a really nice guy, but when we step in the cage, nothing is gonna matter — we’re just gonna work. I’m excited to step in the cage and test myself against him.”
Does Prates predict another KO victory? “I’m excited to step there, in the cage, finish the best year of my career. I’m probably gonna knock him out, but we’ll see.”
The Rest of the Main Card:
Bantamweight - Ricky Turcios vs. Bernardo Sopaj
Middleweight - Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder
Women's Strawweight - Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
Middleweight - Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Duško Todorović
ESPN+ Prelims:
Women's Strawweight - Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Denise Gomes
Bantamweight - Gaston Bolaños vs. Cortavious Romious
Welterweight - Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Zach Scroggin
Welterweight - Matthew Semelsberger vs. Charles Radtke
Bantamweight - Cody Stamann vs. Da'Mon Blackshear
Middleweight - Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trócoli
Women's Bantamweight - Melissa Mullins vs. Klaudia Syguła
