Neil Magny is in a familiar place. The 11-year UFC veteran will make his 34th trip to the Octagon on Saturday and look to turn his back on a highly touted contender. Carlos Prates is a big betting favorite at UFC Fight Night. The Brazilian fighter wants to ride the wave of Fighting Nerds teammates Caio Borralho and Jean Silva to the biggest win of his career.
Magny (29-13) is one of the promotion's most consistent fighters. Last year, Magny broke former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre's record for most wins in the welterweight division. Magny will tie with Donald Cerrone and Andrei Arlovski for the second-most wins in a division (23) if he defies the odds and defeats Prates. Magny is clinging dangerously to 15th place in the official UFC welterweight rankings. It seems like he's been in this position forever. It's hard to remember when Magny wasn't ranked, but his inability to string together wins leaves him hanging by a thread.
“Am I not aware of what has happened in the last few years? No,” Magny told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “I have experienced the losses and what the achievements look like. In the end, I saw guys like Michael Bisping and Glover Teixeira win titles in their late 30s and early 40s. Although unlikely, it is possible.”
Check out the full interview with Neil Magny below.
Prates (20-6) is exactly the type of fighter you want to make a splash in the UFC. Prates' insane finishing skills have been proven in the UFC. The Muay Thai specialist has won 18 of his 20 professional victories, his last 10 consecutive and four under the UFC umbrella. Prates owes his success to the Fighting Nerds team. The Brazilian collective has made an impressive splash in 2024. If Prates performs as expected against Magny, he will make Prates, Borralho and Silva a combined 9-0 this year.
“It brings a lot of good energy to the team,” Prates told CBS Sports of the fighters’ successes. “Everyone wants to be in the same place. It started with Caio. Me, Jean and other people in the gym wanted to be like Caio. He was the first to join the UFC. Everyone wanted to be like Caio. The young people now. “I want to be like us and train hard to be in the UFC one day.
“The team is like a family. We are all like brothers. We try to help each other no matter what happens. I think that’s the key to success.”
Reinier de Ridder is the name that stands out the most on the UFC Fight Night roster. The UFC debut of the concurrent ONE Championship light heavyweight and middleweight titleholder is intriguing. Gerald Meerschaert will welcome de Ridder to the UFC middleweight division. Meerschaert has historically been a benchmark for fighters with ranking potential, including Khamzat Chimaev, Joe Pyfer, Thiago Santos, Kevin Holland and Jack Hermansson.
Below you'll find the rest of Saturday's fight card with the latest odds before we predict the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Carlos Prates -800 | Neil Magny +550 | Welterweight |
| Reinier de Ridder -300 | Gerald Meerschaert +240 | Middleweight |
| Cortavious Romious -218 | Gaston Bolanos +180 | Bantamweight |
| Gillian Robertson -400 | Luana Pinheiro +310 | Strawweight for women |
| Mansur Abdul-Malik -350 | Dusko Todorovic +245 | Middleweight |
UFC Fight Night ad information
Date: Saturday November 9th | Start time: 7:00 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex-Las Vegas
TV channels: ESPN+
forecast
Neil Magny vs Carlos Prates: Magny has become increasingly vulnerable over time, with a third of its default losses occurring in the last two years. That's worrying against a finisher like Prates. The Brazilian fighter has stopped 90% of his victims, including all three UFC opponents. Prates can look back on more than 100 Muay Thai fights, which is clearly visible in his style. A step-in knee that he throws at an angle to his head or body is particularly effective. Magny's weakness is his lack of finishing ability. The veteran welterweight relies on his length and stamina to win rounds in the long run, but he lacks the offensive threats to deter a juggernaut like Prates. Magny will want to test Prates' endurance over 25 minutes and will draw on his experience to tackle the final laps. It's unclear how strong Prates is in a five-round fight, but I don't think that lasts long enough to find out. Another point for the Fighting Nerds! Prates about KO2
