Joaquim Silva had little issue putting away Neil Magny in a submission-only matchup between UFC veterans at FURY Pro Grappling 3 event.
[autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag] had little issue putting away [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] in a submission-only matchup between UFC veterans at Thursday’s FURY Pro Grappling 3 event.
Silva, who competes in the UFC lightweight division, managed to catch UFC welterweight Magny in a guillotine choke at the 2:47 mark of the matchup, which took place at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
After using a couple of minutes to feel out each other’s style and the noticeable size disparity, Silva got a chance to latch a guillotine as the pair locked up. He made it count, forcing Magny to submit.
Neil Magny hasn’t stopped campaigning to fight Khamzat Chimaev, so what’s the hold up?
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] hasn’t stopped campaigning to fight [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], so what’s the hold up?
UFC president Dana White recently said fighters were “100 percent” afraid to fight Chimaev despite what they may say on social media, but none have been pushing harder for the fight than Magny (25-8 MMA, 18-7 UFC).
Based off his strength of schedule, few could question Magny’s intentions. The 34-year-old, who’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN 24 in May, has been in there with the likes of Kelvin Gastelum, Demian Maia, Hector Lombard, Rafael dos Anjos and Santiago Ponzinibbio, to name a few.
Chimaev has looked nothing short of dominant since starting his pro MMA career. “Borz” is coming off his biggest win to date, steamrolling Li Jingliang in the first round at UFC 267 in October.
Neil Magny thinks there’s “nothing to be afraid” of in a fight with Khamzat Chimaev.
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] has no desire to tiptoe around a matchup with rising star [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]. In fact, he wants to go straight at him.
Chimaev made his anticipated return to the octagon from a 13-month layoff at UFC 267 on Saturday and put on a one-sided performance to submit Li Jingliang in the first round of their welterweight bout. The showcase brought back all the hype around Chimaev that was there prior to his time away from competition due to health issues.
A narrative already is forming in the aftermath of UFC 267 that Chimaev (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is not someone 170-pounders will be keen to call out or sign up to fight. Magny (25-8 MMA, 18-7 UFC), however, said that’s not the case for him.
Magny, 34, has been publicly pushing for the matchup against Chimaev, 27, since before Chimaev’s layoff. The situation remains the same, Magny said, and if anything, he wants to fight Chimaev even more now after seeing the type of effort he put forth against Jingliang.
“I was going about my day after the fight happened and I was getting messages with the same old routine saying, ‘No one wants to fight this guy.’ ‘I doubt on Monday when the new rankings come out that anyone in the top 10 will fight this guy.’ ‘He’s just a monster and everyone is going to do their best to avoid him,'” Magny told MMA Junkie on Sunday. “I’m sitting there reading these comments over and over again like, ‘What? No way. I wanted to fight this guy a year ago.’ Nothing has changed today. He did come back, he did look impressive against Jingliang, but for me it adds fuel to the fire. It makes me want to fight him more than I did last year.
“Maybe it was a good thing this fight got pushed off as long as it did. A year ago I would have 100 percent might’ve looked past him, like, ‘Ah whatever. Some new kid that thinks he’s hot stuff. School this kid and show him what’s up.’ Coming out here and beating Jingliang the way he did, it definitely made me take a step back like, ‘Oh damn. This kid’s legit.’ He definitely has some skills that he brings to the table. To me, that’s the kind of fight that makes it more exciting – the guys that make you have to stay on your A-game. When I saw what he did to Jingliang, that made me more excited to fight him.”
Magny, No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN 24 in May. His 18 wins in UFC welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19), meaning Magny has pretty much seen it all in terms of opponents.
The UFC hasn’t seen anything quite like Chimaev, though. Through four UFC appearances, “The Wolf” has outlanded his opponents 112-1 in significant strikes and 254-2 to total strikes. That’s a nearly unfathomable level of dominance, but Magny sees a slim chance that happens to him. The savvy veteran thinks he has the answer to Chimaev’s game, and is confident he can achieve what others have failed to do.
“It’s happened because of his wrestling background,” Magny said. “He’s able to go out there and control guys really well and get to a finish right away or knock them out on their feet. With Jingliang, you saw just that. He was literally rag dolling Jingliang. Having fought Jingliang myself, seeing how he was getting tossed around, I was like, ‘Damn, this dude’s wrestling credentials are pretty good.’ For him to go in there and do what he did to Jingliang, it definitely proved he’s the real deal, and I want to go out there and test myself against a guy like that.
“Last year, there was this mystique or aura around him like, ‘This guy is unbeatable. He’s the new kid on the block.’ Everyone was afraid to put their name out there. I was like, ‘I don’t care. I’ll fight this guy.’ I’ve fought some of the best guys in the UFC over the last nine years. I have nothing to be afraid of at this point. I jumped in back then to fight. Now that he came out and beat Jingliang the way that I did, I’m even more excited to fight him because, in my opinion, (his win) shut up some of the doubters and the mystique and aura around him ever better.”
Magny’s ideal scenario would be for the fight to happen in the near future. He said he’s been scheduled for UFC Fight Night 199 on Dec. 18, but his original opponent – whom he would not name – fell off the card due to injury. The UFC is searching for a different opponent, Magny said, and he sees no good reason why Chimaev shouldn’t be the one to fill in.
“I was offered a fight for Dec. 18 and the fight ended up falling through because the opponent got injured shortly after. As of now, the UFC is working actively to get me a replacement for Dec. 18. So in a perfect world, this fight takes place Dec. 18. He absorbed zero damage against Jingliang, and I think in my opinion that would be a good turnaround for him. I would give him ample time to get back in the gym and get ready to face a tough opponent like me and go out there and put out and amazing fight.
“I want to go to war against a guy like Chimaev. I know for a fact that I can drag him into deep water and beat him. So, that’s what I’m looking to do against him.”
Gilbert Burns is hungry for his next UFC fight and has turned his attention to Neil Magny.
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] is eager to get back in the octagon and is apparently willing to fight way down in the UFC welterweight rankings to make that happen.
Burns (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC), a former UFC title challenger at 170 pounds, teased a clash with [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 18-7 UFC) this week on social media as he looks to keep busy and work his way toward another championship fight.
Since losing to Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 in February, Burns has picked up a win over Stephen Thompson to get back on track. The Brazilian is one of the most active fighters in the game on social media, and has lobbed callouts as many top fighters since his most recent appearance at UFC 264 in July.
There have apparently been no takers for the No. 2-ranked name in the latest official UFC rankings update. According to Burns, everyone is either booked, busy, injured or unwilling. That leaves No. 8-ranked Magny free.
Magny is coming off a dominant decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN 24 in May and is keen to return himself.
That would seemingly align the stars perfectly for a fight. But will it happen? Burns and Magny exchanged some messages this week on Twitter that made it seem hopeful, but evolved into casting some doubt about whether it would happen.
Neil Magny says he’s interested in fighting Khamzat Chimaev, but won’t sit out and wait for the matchup.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] won’t hold his breath for a booking with Khamzat Chimaev.
The welterweight is looking for big opportunities following his most recent win at UFC on ESPN 24, but the timing has to make sense. Magny (25-8 MMA, 18-7 UFC) defeated Geoff Neal (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) on the main card with a unanimous decision.
Magny, who’s had a history of trash talk with Chimaev, likes the bout with the Chechen fighter. But he said waiting for the fight is not an option.
“I’m at this point where Khamzat is this great competitor. I can definitely fight him and propel my career forward. But at the same time, I can’t put my career and life on hold to hope that he’s better,” Magny said at the UFC on ESPN 24 post-fight news conference. “The guy has pulled out of three fights over the last few months. So for me to kind of put all my eggs in one basket and wait for him and hope that he’s ready this summer, it’s just foolish on my end.
“I think if he prioritizes getting healthy and can actually complete a camp and show up to a fight, then sure, that’s a fight that I’m definitely interested in. But as far as putting my life on hold for him, I have things that I want to accomplish and time is not my best friend at this point, so I can’t wait around for him.”
[lawrence-related id=609434,609441]
Chimaev has withdrawn from his past two bouts due to complications from COVID-19. The 27-year-old has experienced lung issues that have kept him out of training. Chimaev recently said he’s recovering well and expects to return later this year.
Magny is now 4-1 in his past five fights. The 33-year-old wants to make a run at the welterweight title, but knows he doesn’t have too much time left in the sport and also has a family to feed.
“At the end of the day, the title shot and becoming a UFC champion is the end goal. But I have to be realistic about the path I take to get there,” Magny said. “I’m one injury away from never fighting again. I’m one opportunity away from never fighting again. So I have to be cautious of that and be aware of that. I do have a son to provide for, so thoughts do cross my mind when it comes to how long I’m sitting around and waiting for my next fight. At the end of the day, the gold belt would be great. But providing for my family is my No. 1 goal at this point.”
UFC on ESPN 24 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 24 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $143,000.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC on ESPN 24 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 24 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC on ESPN 24: Rodriguez vs. Waterson” – $143,000
UFC welterweight Neil Magny outworks Geoff Neal to win a unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 24 in Las Vegas.
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] is back in the win column.
The welterweight bounced back from a loss to Michael Chiesa in January by outpointing [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] for a unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 24 on Saturday. Magny (25-8 MMA, 18-7 UFC) defeated Neal (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) with a pair of 29-28 scores and a 30-27.
The welterweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 24 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.
Magny simply outlasted and outworked the tough Neal over the course of 15 minutes.
The first round of the fight didn’t have as much striking as many expected. Magny got busy early with solid combinations, but Neal chose to clinch Magny against the cage. They occasionally broke away from the clinch and both fighters landed shots – only to wind up right back in the clinch. Magny landed several shots and had the volume in his favor, but Neal had the harder shots and pressed the action in the clinch.
In the second, the striking opened up. Neal chased Magny down looking for power shots, while Magny stayed on the outside picking his shots. Halfway through the round, Neal began to incorporate the clinch once again, but Magny was able to defend well and at times dominated the action there. Neither connected flush or caused significant damage, but it was clear Magny had volume on his side.
In the final round, Magny entered a groove. He kept the distance on Neal and avoided any clinching while using a high volume of straight punches to connect. Neal worked to close the distance, but Magny’s range gave him plenty of issues. Magny even briefly took Neal down in a clean round for the “TUF 16” veteran.
[lawrence-related id=609220,609310]
With the victory, Magny now has 25 professional victories on his record and is second in UFC welterweight victories only to longtime former champ Georges St-Pierre. Neal finds himself on a two-fight skid having lost to Stephen Thompson in his previous outing in December.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 24 results include:
Neil Magny def. Geoff Neal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Neil Magny knows with a win over Geoff Neal, people will no longer question his resume.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] knows by beating [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 24 event, people will no longer question his resume.
Magny has fought the who’s who at 170 pounds, with notable wins over former title challengers Kelvin Gastelum and Carlos Condit, as well as former UFC welterweight champions Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler.
But with most of those victories coming against stars who were on losing streaks, the validity of those wins have at times been questioned, which irks Magny (24-8 MMA, 17-7 UFC). Though Neal (13-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is coming off a loss to former two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson, he remains a dangerous top contender.
“At this point, it’s more about me redeeming myself and doing the things that I know I’m capable of doing,” Magny told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “It just so happened that Geoff’s the guy that I get to go out there and fight next. I have a lot of respect for him as a competitor. He’s done a lot of good things in the sport so far. Up until the fight with Stephen Thompson, he was undefeated in the UFC, so to be able to go out there and test myself against an up-and-comer like that, I’m kind of excited about it.
[lawrence-related id=608065,608114]
“As dominant as my last couple of wins have been, everyone likes to put an asterisk on it like, ‘Oh yeah, Neil dominated Robbie Lawler, but Robbie Lawler is on the backside of his career,’ so it’s like give me these up-and-coming guys that you guys want to see in the top 10, top five and let me face them in their prime so there’s no asterisk, there’s no second guessing, there’s no ‘maybe he beat this guy because he was past his prime’ or anything like that. I can hang with the best in the world, so that’s what I’m going to go out there and do.”
Magny admits that he didn’t necessarily get the best form of Lawler when he beat him in August, which is why he’s eager to show that he can top the surging prospects at 170 pounds.
“I could definitely feel like all right, you know what, maybe the guy is a little different,” Magny said. “But to go out there and prove myself is what I want to do. I want to go out there and fight the best guys in their best state. I want to beat them in their prime, and that allows me to feel better about my accomplishments and my wins, as well.”
UFC on ESPN 24 takes place at the UFC Apex. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.
To see the full interview with Magny, check out the video above.
The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 24, which features the return of all-time UFC wins leader Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
The second event in a busy May schedule for the UFC goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.
The main event features a short-notice matchup between strawweight contenders [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (14-1-2 MMA, 3-1-2 UFC) and [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (18-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who have agreed to fight at flyweight due to the lack of preparation time.
There are also a number of other notables set to compete. For more on the numbers, check below for 45 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 23.
The UFC went back to booking Neil Magny and Geoff Neil against each other, and both welterweights are in.
The UFC went back to booking [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] and [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] against each other, and both welterweights are in.
On Wednesday, two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie that Magny and Neal are set to clash May 8 at UFC on ESPN 24. The people asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Magny (24-8 MMA, 17-7 UFC) and Neal (13-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) originally were set to square off last August, but Neal was forced to withdraw just 20 days out because of an unforeseen health scare that required a stay in the ICU. In Neal’s place stepped in former champion Robbie Lawler, whom Magny defeated by unanimous decision to push his winning streak to three.
Magny went on to fight once more and had his streak snapped, dropping a unanimous decision to Michael Chiesa this past January.
Neal returned to the cage last December and lost a unanimous decision to Stephen Thompson, which snapped a seven-fight winning streak.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 24 lineup now includes:
“
