Tag: Neil Magny

Khamzat Chimaev targets June return, warns Neil Magny to ‘be ready’

Khamzat Chimaev appears to be back in good health after a severe case of COVID-19.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] appears to be back in good health after a severe case of COVID-19.

Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has spent the past several months dealing with the lingering effects of coronavirus, which forced him to twice withdraw from scheduled main event matchups against Leon Edwards, the latter of which was meant to take place March 13 in Las Vegas.

The impact on Chimaev put not only his fighting career in jeopardy, but apparently his life, too. Chimaev’s team recently described how bad the situation got for him, and it forced the UFC brass to intervene in order to help him.

[lawrence-related id=591106,589259,577585]

UFC president Dana White flew Chimaev to Las Vegas to get him top-tier treatment, and it’s paid off with positive results. Chimaev indicated on Saturday that the “first class” medical care provided by the UFC has him feeling strong again, and he’s ready to get back to the octagon in the coming months (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLyiMHJFE3f

want to say thank you to @danawhite and @ufc Give me medical treatment and taking care of me first class thank you and I’m very grateful see in June

Chimaev, who hasn’t seen action since a 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert in September, isn’t wasting any time setting himself up for a fight in his desired June return to the cage.

He issued a warning to [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 17-7 UFC), who has made it clear in recent weeks that he’s itching to fight Chimaev following his loss to Michael Chiesa in the UFC on ESPN 20 main event in January.

Chimaev fired back at Magny, and told him a “real” fight is coming his way this summer (via Twitter):

Be ready in June i’m going to give you real Chechen inside the cage and outside

[vertical-gallery id=553382]

UFC on ESPN 20 medical suspensions: Mike Davis, Victoria Leonardo face up to 180 days

Mike Davis and Victoria Leonardo are facing potential six-month suspensions for injuries sustained in their fights.

[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Victoria Leonardo[/autotag] are facing potential six-month medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 20.

Davis (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who earned the “Fight of the Night” honor in a unanimous decision win over Mason Jones, needs clearance for his left thumb for his hard-fought battle with Jones.

Joining Davis with a potential 180-day term is Leonardo (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who needs clearance for her right forearm after suffering a second-round stoppage loss to Manon Fiorot.

MMA Junkie on Friday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.

The full list of UFC on ESPN 20 medical suspensions includes:

  • [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to right eye laceration.
  • [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days due to rib soreness.
  • [autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days due to knockout loss.
  • [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to “hard bout.”
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to right cheek laceration.
  • [autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Tom Breese[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
  • [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Gaetano Pirello[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to chin laceration.
  • [autotag]Zarrukh Adashev[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
  • [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to scalp laceration.
  • [autotag]Francisco Figueiredo[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
  • [autotag]Jerome Rivera[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • Mike Davis: Needs X-ray for left thumb, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Mason Jones[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
  • Victoria Leonardo: Needs X-ray for right forearm, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).

[vertical-gallery id=581617]

Who’s next for Michael Chiesa after beating Neil Magny? | UFC on ESPN 20 matchmaker.mov

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Michael Chiesa in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Michael Chiesa in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

UFC on ESPN 20 results: Michael Chiesa grinds out Neil Magny, calls out Colby Covington

“The election is over,” Michael Chiesa screamed into the camera, calling out Colby Covington after his win.

[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] just keeps on rolling.

At UFC on ESPN 20, Chiesa (17-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) kept his welterweight unbeaten streak alive when he defeated [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] by unanimous decision with three scores of 49-46.

The welterweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 20 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It aired on ESPN.

Through the first two rounds, Chiesa’s game plan became clear: tie up Magny and take him down. He succeeded in doing so and displayed strong wrestling to control Magny on the mat.

In Round 3, Magny briefly changed the momentum by taking Chiesa down. However, shortly after Chiesa rose back to his feet and resumed his gritty pursuit of control.

[lawrence-related id=582324,582285]

Round 4 was much like the first two. Chiesa resorted back to his wrestling. After he took Magny down, Chiesa maneuvered to the back before he took full mount. As the round progressed, Magny turned the momentum and attempted an inverted triangle, perhaps his biggest chance of the fight, but Chiesa escaped.

Magny came out aggressive in the final round, needing a finish to win. Chiesa evaded Magny as the clock wound down before he secured another takedown where he remained in top position for the remainder of the fight.

After the fight, Chiesa called out former UFC interim champion Colby Covington in his post-fight interview.

“The election is over!” Chiesa screamed into the camera. “Colby Covington, your schtick is done! You’re next, boy!”

Chiesa moves to 4-0 since moving up to welterweight in 2018. The win over Magny followed victories over Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez, and Carlos Condit. The fight was Chiesa’s second UFC main event.

Magny suffers his first loss in four fights. His previous defeat came against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 140 in November 2018.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 20 results include:

5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 20

MMA Junkie senior editor Dave Doyle walks you through five key questions UFC on ESPN 20 should answer.

Can’t stop, won’t stop: Just four days after the first UFC event of the year, the company is right back in action. UFC on ESPN 20 is the middle show in a run of three cards in eight days to kick off the 2021 schedule, and it goes down Wednesday.

An intriguing welterweight main event featuring a pair of hard-working competitors who have labored long to earn this spot takes headlines status, as [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag].

UFC on ESPN 20 takes place Wednesday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN.

Without further ado, then, here are five burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 20.

UFC on ESPN 20 official weigh-in highlights, faceoffs and photo gallery

All the pre-fight activities are in the books for UFC on ESPN 20 following official weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs.

All the pre-fight activities are in the books for UFC on ESPN 20 following Tuesday’s official weigh-in and fighter faceoff.

Everyone made weight for Wednesday’s card, which takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island and airs on ABC and streams on ESPN+ following prelims ESPN+. That includes headliners [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) , who meet in a key matchup of welterweight contenders.

[jwplayer aAmyB07U-RbnemIYZ]

At the conclusion of weigh-ins, the athletes from all 14 bouts on the card came face-to-face for a final staredown. There was a mix of high intensity and friendliness across the board.

Check out the faceoff highlights in the video above, and a photo gallery from all of Tuesday’s happenings below.

[vertical-gallery id=581555]

[jwplayer aAmyB07U-RbnemIYZ]

UFC on ESPN 20 video: Michael Chiesa, Neil Magny burst into laughter during final faceoff

UFC on ESPN 20 headliners Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny had one final staredown before sharing the octagon on Wednesday.

ABU DHABI – Welterweight contenders [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] got a final good look at one another on Tuesday ahead of UFC on ESPN 20.

After both men successfully made weight, Chiesa (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) engaged in one last faceoff before stepping into the octagon with one another. It started out intense, but then neither man could contain their laughter or put on a front of having disdain for one another.

UFC on ESPN 20 takes place Wednesday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The entire card airs on ESPN.

Watch the video above to see the first and final staredown between Chiesa and Magny ahead of fight night.

[jwplayer aAmyB07U-RbnemIYZ]

UFC on ESPN 20 video: Michael Chiesa, Neil Magny on weight for main event

The UFC’s second main event of the year between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny is official.

ABU DHABI – The UFC’s second main event of the year between [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] is locked in.

At Tuesday’s official UFC on ESPN 20 weigh-ins, Chiesa (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) had no issues on the scale as they successfully hit the welterweight limit for their headlining matchup.

Chiesa tipped the scale at 170.5 pounds, while Magny used the full one-pound allowance at 171.

UFC on ESPN 20 takes place Wednesday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The entire card airs on ESPN.

Watch the above video to see Chiesa and Magny make weight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrG4Ne22aEI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOv0WTZufnE

UFC on ESPN 20: Make your predictions for Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 20 event in Abu Dhabi.

We want your predictions for Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 20 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Monday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 20 event staff predictions we release Tuesday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place Wednesday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN.

Make your picks for the six main card fights below.