Alex Oliveira discusses a time he felt Neil Magny tried to size him up.
Oliveira has been on quite a roll under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner. He’s gone 5-1, 1 NC in his last seven outings. He’ll look to ride the wave when he meets Magny on Sept. 22 at UFC Sao Paulo. It’s a big opportunity for “Cowboy,” who sits at the 14th spot on the official UFC welterweight rankings while Magny holds the eighth position.
Alex Oliveira Discusses Airport Encounter With Neil Magny
There appears to be more to the story of Oliveira vs. Magny than just moving up the ladder. Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Oliveira claimed he had an encounter with Magny at an airport in Nevada back in 2015:
”When I got there, I was still a lightweight, and we bumped into each other at the airport and it was that weird atmosphere. I didn’t understand his reaction, I was in a lower weight class. I told my master, ‘if I move up and have the opportunity to fight him, I won’t turn it down.’ That opportunity came, and let’s go fight him. I was outside (of Brazil) and he thought I wouldn’t stand my ground. Thiago ‘Marreta’ (Santos) said ‘forget about it, forget about it,’ but no. Man, I’ll jump him right here.”
UFC Sao Paulo will take place inside the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the main event, Jimi Manuwa will go one-on-one with Thiago Santos. The co-main event will see Ketlen Vieira take on former Invicta FC champion Tonya Evinger. Also featured on the card will be a light heavyweight battle between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Sam Alvey. Middleweights Antonio Carlos Jr. and Elias Theodorou are also set to collide on the card.
Who is your pick going into UFC Sao Paulo, Alex Oliveira or Neil Magny?
