UFC Fight Night 31 results, photos: Seth Baczynski outworks Neil Magny

FORT CAMPBELL – With his back against the wall, Seth Baczynski picked up a much-needed decision win over Neil Magny.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 31 event at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. It streamed on MMAjunkie.com ahead of the additional prelims and a main card on FOX Sports 1.

The rangy welterweights looked to strike early, mixing in punches and kicks before moving into the clinch.

Referee “Big” John McCarthy didn’t let them stay there long, but Magny brought it back inside shortly after the restart, trading off dirty boxing attacks before another McCrthy restart. Baczynski scored a quick takedown on the return to action, and he finished the round in a dominant position after a brief barrage from the mount.

The two started quickly in the second, and McCarthy again kept the action fast with rapid restarts. Baczynski elevated Magny briefly but couldn’t convert the slam, and they went back to work in the clinch. Baczynski seemed to tire a bit as the round wore on, and his left cheek showed the wear of a few Magny punches. He was given a reprieve when McCarthy stopped the fight to remove some loose tape on Magny’s gloves, and Baczynski capitalized on the restart with an immediate takedown.

The grinding affair remained in close quarters to open the final frame, before Baczynski capitalized with another takedown. Magny scrambled back to his feet in the final two minutes, but he was unable to capitalize on the position until a late flurry just before the final bell. It was too little, too late, and Baczynski was awarded a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three cards.

“I felt I had won at the end of the fight,” Baczynski said. “He’s a tough guy to fight because he’s so long and is hard to break away from. I thought I might have had him when I landed that one shot and buckled his knees in the first round. I consider this a great win for myself.”

Baczynski (19-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) snaps a two-fight losing streak with the result. Magny (8-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has now dropped back-to-back fights for the first time in his career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 31 results include:

• Seth Baczynski def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Derek Brunson def. Brian Houston via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:48

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 31, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

Dann Stupp contributed to this report on-site at Fort Campbell.