Mike Malott will be clashing against seasoned UFC fighter Neil Magny at UFC 297 on January 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Despite the risk he might face, Malott is confident with his current record and capability to take down the Goliath, saying it could allow him to finally enter the UFC welterweight ranking.
Malott would be coming from an impressive three straight wins after joining UFC, with two of those victories achieved through submission and one with a technical knockout. Currently, he boasts a 10-1-1 MMA/3-0 UFC record.
Meanwhile, Magny is still fresh from his loss to Ian Machado Garry in August. Magny also lost to other opponents in the past, with the fighter sporting a 28-11 MMA/21-10 UFC record. However, The Haitian Sensation is a veteran at UFC who has been fighting under the promotion company since 2013 and is currently ranked No. 13 in UFC’s Welterweight ranking. For Malott, nonetheless, these points make Magny an attractive opponent, revealing his intention to enter the ranking.
“I think I’ve shown everybody already that I should be taken seriously in this division,” Malott told MMA Junkie. “With his fight, I’m not so much focused on him as I am the position. This is a number I’m fighting for. This is my spot on the ladder, this is my ability to start climbing in the ranks.
“This is the biggest opportunity of my fight career and I think I’ve done a really good job throughout my career of having the best performances when there’s the most on the line. So I’m expecting this to be the best performance of my career so far.”
Malott is trying to enter the ranking by starting small and hopes that UFC will notice his effort once he succeeds against Magny. Needless to say, the Canadian also wants to be featured in a main event in the future, but all of those will be determined by his bout against Magny and future opponents.
