Neil Magny was left unimpressed by Khamzat Chimaev taking up a fight against Leon Edwards
UFC star Neil Magny shared his thoughts of getting snubbed by Khamzat Chimaev for a fight against Leon Edwards.
Magny, 9th ranked star in the Welterweight division, has been one candidate who has called Khamzat out for a fight.
The 9-0 Swede was looking for his next opponent and Magny had called him out a while back. However, Chimaev shocked the world when Edwards decided to accept the call out and he agreed to fight the British star.
Edwards had first turned down a battle with Chimaev but changed his mind when the UFC took him off the rankings.
Magny was speaking to ESPN and shared his thoughts on why the fight broke down. The 33-year-old claimed this was an easier fight for Chimaev when compared to him getting into the Octagon:
“The only thing I can possibly think of that caused this fight to not go through is that his team thought it was a better match up for him.”
"I think it's pretty obvious at this point that his team and himself believe the easier matchup for him was Leon Edwards."@NeilMagny told @arielhelwani why he believes Khamzat Chimaev opted to fight Edwards and not Magny, who had been campaigning. pic.twitter.com/LsWgD6SX7i
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 28, 2020
“Pretty sure his team thought that Leon Edwards was an easier fight for him. He would have matched up better against Edwards than me.”
Fans agree with Magny
The 33-year-old has looked great in recent fights and hasn’t lost in his last three outings. Edwards has also been on a bit of a tear but he was ranked higher than Magny before getting stripped.
Chimaev is right to think about his prospects in the division too. Beating Magny would have been great but getting one over the third-ranked Edwards could see him get a title shot in the future.
The Swede is one of the rising stars in the UFC, and a battle against Edwards could be great. However, many fans backed Magny’s theory and confirmed that he would be a tougher fight against Chimaev.
Some also backed the other theory that Chimaev wanted to take on a higher-ranked opponent:
Magny is tough as hell and it seems like he’s at his peak right now, but the more likely reasoning is Leon is the No. 3 welterweight and if Khamzat beats him then he’s fighting for the belt next.
— Ari Gilberg (@arigilberg) October 28, 2020
I actually agree with this. Ariel even confirmed the UFC didn’t want this match up because they didn’t like how the fight might play out. Magny is big with a long reach. Great grappling and has looked good in his last couple fights. He presents issues for chimaev.
— Early Stoppage MMA (@EarlyMMA) October 28, 2020
The reason is that Edwards is a bigger fight. But I think Magny deserves props for trying to fight the kid.
— Sam Archer (@Sarrrcher) October 28, 2020
Beating Neil would mean another fight at top 5 to become a title contender. Beating Leon would skyrocket his brand and set him up as the next title contender after Usman vs Burns. Pretty obvious choice really.
— Your Mom's Favourite MMA Account (@MMAmath2) October 28, 2020
Yeah also I think Khamzat was waiting to see if he could get a higher ranked opponent after Magny offered to fight, and sure enough that’s what happened. His agent is smart. Should be a great fight.
— deadbeat1258 (@deadbeatl258) October 28, 2020
A win over Edwards gets you a title shot right now whilst a win over magny gets you a number one contender fight
— ODHRAN (@0dhranmckinney) October 28, 2020
https://twitter.com/ItAlways420/status/1321587726613970946?s=20
More UFC news
- Dustin Poirier has hilarious reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC 254 weigh-in
- Dominick Reyes left with gruesome rib injury after Jan Blachowicz power kicks
- (Photos) Liana Jojua suffers horrific nose cut in loss to Miranda Maverick at UFC 254
Follow our dedicated UFC page for instant UFC news and updates
