Magny (photo via Ultimate Fighting Championship)

By FCF Staff

After going 1-2 to start his run with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Neil Magny will be looking to record his fifth straight victory, when he battles William Macario this Saturday at UFC 179. It’s been an impressive turn around for the TUF 16 vet, who most recently, worked his way to a unanimous decision win over Alex Garcia.

So what does the 27 year-old welterweight attribute his recent success to? While speaking to UFC.com about his 2014 campaign, here is some of what Magny had to say:

“All the hard work is finally paying off,” Magny said. “I’ve really been putting in a ton of hard work to improve as a fighter and what I’ve been able to do in 2014 really shows that. I had a rough patch last year and it made me question if I should even be doing this or not. But after taking a step back, I knew this was what I wanted to do and I was going to get back in the gym with more effort and belief than ever before. I kept working hard and one thing led to another. Now, here I am with a four-fight winning streak and I have another one lined up with a chance to make it five straight.”

“I feel like I’ve been blessed with the right people at the right time,” Magny said. “At various times my coaches have stepped in and told me what I can do better and what I need to improve on and things like that. Nate Marquardt has been a great help with my progression…”

In addition to Garcia, Magny (12-3) has defeated Tim Means, Gasan Umalatov and Rodrigo Goiana de Lima in 2014.

Macario (7-1) is coming of a one sided, UD win over Bobby Voelker last December, after he was submitted by Leonardo Santos in June, 2013.

UFC 179 will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and will feature featherweight champ Jose Aldo taking on Chad Mendes in the main event.