If there was any lingering doubt about Neil Magny's status as an elite welterweight, it got put to rest at UFC Fight Night 85. Despite fighting in enemy territory, Magny became the first man to finish Hector Lombard, stopping the wearied veteran with a salvo of third-round strikes at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
However the end of the fight should have come far sooner.
With 90 seconds left in round two, Magny (18-4) mounted Lombard and began unloading a hellacious series of over 100 unanswered strikes. An exhausted and battered Lombard put up no defense other than to give up his back or allow Magny to reclaim full mount, yet referee Steve Perceval -- a Sydney, Australia resident -- allowed the fight to continue until the end of the round.