UFC Fight Night 78 Results: Neil Magny Slips Past Kelvin Gastelum

Magny doing well so far over this first ten minute spell. Formiga, a tremendous grappler, won’t be able to take Cejudo down, or at least not consistently, so he’ll likely be working on his feet a lot in this fight. “It feels good to get the reception that I get from the Mexican fans”.

“TUF 17” victor and top-20 ranked Kelvin Gastelum (12-1) heads to 170 pounds for a scrap against fast-rising contender Neil Magny (16-5) in the main event of this weekend’s UFC show.

Magny looked nothing like the guy that was schooled on the ground less than four months ago by Demian Maia early on as he put Gastelum into all sorts of precarious positions.

Gastelum vs. Magny is in the books and I am so glad it is, because this card just dragged on forever. If you don’t have to cut as much as the guy you’re going against and if he takes the fight, you kind of get the edge on him, he doesn’t have to rehydrate as much as the guy that you’re fighting.

Even though I was less than impressed by the performance exhibited by both fighters, the right fighter was awarded the decision in a fight that had few memorable moments. The UFC was trying to set up Escudero with a win here and he couldn’t deliver.

Robert Winfree: I have no idea what compelled Diego Sanchez to try his hand and featherweight, but this is a bad idea.

Sanchez is an unknown quantity at featherweight, but realistically, has faced a much lower level of fighter recently than Lamas has. I still think his ceiling is limited, but I like him better coming out of this fight. Lamas is one of the best in the featherweight division. I don’t like Sanchez’s chances here, and I don’t particularly like matchups of this sort. Gastelum clinches with Neil Magny temporarily.

Lamas looked very mediocre against Jose Aldo and even worse against Chad Mendes, but they are two of the greatest fighters in the division. Gastelum bounces back up and the round ends. Being the aggressor for the better part of the fight, Cejudo was landing with his uppercut and hooks as he showed the more polished boxing skills.

No doubt the story of this fight will be the shoddy refereeing and the audacity of Jorgensen’s corner to allow him to continue fighting. Magny quickly upright threatening again to take him down.

Taking his second short notice fight in as many outings, Magny’s cardio looked fantastic as he never stopped pressuring and searching for jabs and submissions on the ground against Gastelum. Magny’s overall game has improved leaps and bounds from his UFC debut, but I don’t really like his chances here. However, no judge saw it that way and Magny walked away with the hard-fought victory. While Gastelum doesn’t have the jiu-jitsu top game of someone like Maia, he’s good enough to keep Magny down and get a win.

Dan Plunkett: Gastelum, if he can keep his weight on point, is legit at welterweight. “Magny is extremely long for welterweight and has an 80″ reach. “Every time I come down to Mexico they receive me with open arms” the 24-year-old welterweight said.

The staff picks Kelvin Gastelum, 3-0.

21, the UFC hosted UFC Fight Night 78: Magny vs. Gastelum from the Monterrey Arena in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.