The UFC Fight Night 85 battle between welterweights Hector "Showeather" Lombard and Neil Magny on Saturday night was a unique one. Not just because of the fight, mind you, but because of how tough it was to predict what would happen.
Lombard, once upon a time, was a top contender in the UFC welterweight division. A rare blend of world-class judo and freakish knockout power, he nearly reached the top of the post-Georges St-Pierre mountain.
Unfortunately, a failed drug test stopped his rise, and the division forgot about him as he served his suspension. As the months piled up, "Is he going to get a title shot?" became "Can he still hack it fighting clean?"
Magny has been on the opposite end of the spectrum. An also-ran from the dreadful 16th season of The Ultimate Fighter, the deck was seemingly stacked against him both competitively and athletically. When the calendar flipped from 2013 to 2014, however, something changed.
Magny started to grow at a steady pace, spurred on by a hectic schedule that saw him fight 10 times in a 24-month span. He would post an impressive 9-1 record during that stretch and went from being a nobody to one of the hottest fighters in one of the deepest divisions.
The questions entering this fight were threefold. How much had Lombard declined during his suspension? How much had Magny grown? And how did the two stack up with that in mind?
The answers? Not much. A lot. And favorably for Magny.
In the opening seconds of the fight, Lombard drilled Magny with a punch and poured on a coat of punishment so thick it easily could have drawn the stoppage. Unfortunately, while Lombard's devastating power punching and smothering top game remain as good as ever, his cardio remains poor. Magny would eventually escape, and Lombard would be running in first gear for the remainder of the fight.
Of course, even running in first, Lombard remains deadly. That shined through in the second, as he once again knocked down Magny with a left hand. That time, however, he didn't have the juice to go for the finish, and Magny took advantage, sweeping from underneath, getting on top, flattening him out and landing dozens of uncontested strikes.
It was an uncomfortably long stretch that Lombard simply couldn't endure. While the ref let the fight reach the horn, Lombard could barely stand at the start of the third. Magny capitalized quickly, popping him with jabs before taking him down. He quickly moved into mount and locked in a triangle from top position. He opened up on Lombard, and that, mercifully, drew the stoppage.
It was an impressive, gutsy performance from Magny that will further entrench him into the welterweight Top 10. While he isn't in the title picture quite yet, due to a lack of fan interest and his 2015 loss to Demian Maia, he is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing fighters in the UFC.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to guess what comes next for him. The UFC remains bearish on him, and that could result in him fighting a fringe Top 10 contender like Rick Story or Tarec Saffiedine, or it could lead him into another throwaway affair with an anonymous midcarder like Alberto Mina or Court McGee. Either way, he will likely remain in a holding pattern for another fight or two.
Lombard, unfortunately, suffered a major setback here. Had he won the fight in the opening minute, which he was just a punch or two away from doing, he would be within arm's reach of the UFC title. He likely would have moved on to a fight against somebody like Tyron Woodley or Maia, which could have led to a title shot with a win.
Instead, he now returns to American Top Team at 38 years old, with gold impossibly far away.
Such is the nature of combat sports, unfortunately. For fighters who lack name value, wins are fleeting. Losses linger.
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