UFC welterweight Neil Magny is on the cusp of a historic year
Speed, power and conditioning are things essential to a fighter's success. But regardless of how great one's physical attributes may be, it's difficult to win at the highest level without self-confidence.
No one understands that better than UFC welterweight Neil Magny.
He won his debut at UFC 157, but lost his next two fights and certainly didn't show signs of morphing into a contender.
But 2014 has been a revelation for Magny, who fights Brazilian William Macario on Oct. 25 in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 179 in his fifth bout in less than a calendar year.
After being submitted by Sergio Moraes at UFC 163 on Aug. 3, 2013, and losing a three-round decision to Seth Baczynski at Fight for the Troops 3 on Nov. 6, 2013, he faced a crossroads: Another loss and he would almost certainly be cut.
But Magny needed more than just a win. He needed to believe, to trust in what his coaches were telling him and, more importantly, to believe in his own ability.
"I really doubted myself a great deal early on," Magny said.
Many fighters fold under the pressure of knowing they need to win to keep their jobs, but Magny didn’t as he prepared to meet Gasan Umalatov at UFC 169 on Feb. 1.
A loss to Umalatov would have most likely ended his UFC career on the spot. Before he even accepted the fight, Magny did some soul searching.
He had a criminal justice degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, so he had an education to fall back on in the event things didn't work out for him.
After losing to Baczynski, Magny did a thorough self-evaluation, trying to determine what was working and what wasn't, and why the results weren't what he wanted.
"Personally, my faith is what helped me to get through it when I lost those two fights in a row," Magny said. "I started questioning my whole MMA career. I began to wonder whether I should hang it up and pursue a career in law enforcement.
"I prayed on it and after a while, I just came to believe that I needed to put all of my efforts into making it in the UFC and making it as an MMA fighter. Part of it was not having self-doubt or second-guessing myself."
The 1973 National League champion New York Mets adopted the battle cry, "Ya gotta believe!" after pitcher Tug McGraw. It's the same thing that Magny decided for himself, and it has led to a near record-setting year that started with his decision win over Umalatov.
The record for most wins and most fights in a calendar year in the modern era of the UFC – meaning counting everything but the one-day tournaments when a fighter could fight as many as three bouts in the same day – is five.
Roger Huerta went 5-for-5 in 2007. Chris Leben in 2006 and Donald Cerrone in 2011 fought five times in a calendar year.
That Magny can equal those marks is a surprise to just about everyone who follows the UFC, including Magny himself.
"If you would have asked me last year if I'd have fought four times in the UFC and won all four, I'd have said, 'Oh, you're crazy. That's not going to happen,'" Magny said. "I've got the faith and belief in myself that I can do the job now and it's worked to my benefit, obviously."
Magny's losing streak began in Rio de Janeiro last year, a notoriously difficult place for foreigners to compete. The cards are almost always stacked with Brazilians and the home fans aren't timid in their support, often chanting, "You're going to die."
It was tough for Magny when he met Moraes, a Brazilian.
"It was nerve-wracking to fight in a foreign country for the first time and I let it get the best of me," Magny said. "I put too much thought and emphasis on it. But I've learned from that and it's not a problem for me any longer."
Magny defeated Rodrigo de Lima in New Zealand in June to get over the fighting-out-of-the-country issue, but facing a Brazilian in Brazil is going to be the real test.
But as his year winds down, he's totally positive and almost the complete opposite of the man he was when the year began.
"I live in the moment and do what I need to do each day to get better," he said. "And in the fights, I don't have the doubts any more because I know I've done what I needed to do to be prepared."
Check out what's buzzing on the Yahoo Sports Minute:
