Tag: Neil Magny

UFC 283 pre-event facts: Deiveson Figueiredo, Brandon Moreno make history with fourth fight

Deiveson Figueiredo will become the first in history to face the same man four straight times when he meets Brandon Moreno at UFC 283.

The UFC returns to Brazil for the first time since March 2020 on Saturday with UFC 283, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC and ESPN+.

A championship doubleheader will close out the promotion’s first numbered event of the year. In the main event, [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (33-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) and [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will attempt to decide a new light heavyweight champion when they meet for vacant gold.

The co-headliner, meanwhile, will see flyweight champion [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (21-2-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) and interim titleholder [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (20-5-2 MMA, 8-2-2 UFC) meet once again in a historic contest. They will unify 125-pound gold in the fourth octagon meeting between them, which has never happened before in company history.

For more on the numbers behind both title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 283.

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Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill

Video: UFC 283 ‘Countdown’ for Gilbert Burns vs. Neil Magny

Watch the “Countdown” segment ahead of the UFC 283 featured bout between Gilbert Burns and Neil Magny.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 283 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the co-main event preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the featured bout between former title challenger [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag].

UFC 283 takes place Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC and early prelims on ESPN+.

“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.

Gilbert Burns taking Neil Magny ‘super seriously,’ says he needs finish at UFC 283

Gilbert Burns is eager to finish Neil Magny at UFC 283 as his first step to work back toward a title shot.

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] is eager to get a finish against [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag].

Burns (20-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) meets Magny (27-9 MMA, 20-8 UFC) at UFC 283 on Jan. 21 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC and ESPN+.

Burns is coming off a barnburner against Khamzat Chimaev this past April, when he took the unbeaten star to the brink but ultimately fell short on the judges’ scorecards. Looking to kickstart another title run, “Durinho” knows he needs a statement finish of Magny, and that’s exactly what he’s seeking.

“I’m at a point right now where a win is not enough,” Burns said on Michael Bisping’s “Believe You Me” podcast. “I need to get a finish and in order to have that type of finish, the training camp is different. I’m putting a lot of work to make sure Jan. 21, I come ready to finish this guy. Not just a win, not a bullsh*t decision, not let’s see what the judges are gonna see. No, f*ck that. No more. I never like it, but after the last one even more now. I don’t want to depend on the judges. They’ve been messing up a lot of guys, so I have 15 minutes to finish this guy and don’t let the judges make a decision for me.”

He continued, “I’m taking him super seriously. Especially, like I said, I want a finish in Brazil. I don’t want just a decision, take the guy down and hold him down or whatever. No, I want a finish. So I’m working my butt off for this fight, and I do respect that guy so much, but I see I can finish him, and that’s exactly what I’m working towards.”

Burns fell short in his title pursuit in February 2021 in what was an action-packed fight against then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. He knows he still has some work to do before getting another shot at gold, and he’s more than willing to earn it.

“My goal is to become a champion,” Burns said. “I want it more than ever now, because I know my time is closing. I’m 36. I don’t have 10 more years. So I want to get a couple of finishes and get another title shot and win the title.”

He continued, “Perfect would be three finishes and earning that title shot. I don’t want to beg, I don’t want to ask, I don’t want a favor. I want to earn that. A devastating finish against Neil Magny will get me a step closer to that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.

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UFC in 2022: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2022’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll, here are some of 2022’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances in the octagon.

Neil Magny can definitely see Jorge Masvidal ‘swooping in’ for UFC title shot if Kamaru Usman isn’t ready

Neil Magny wouldn’t be surprised if Jorge Masvidal ends up fighting for the UFC welterweight title next.

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] won’t be surprised if [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] ends up fighting for the UFC welterweight title next.

Champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) is expected to meet Kamaru Usman in a trilogy, but the bout has yet to be confirmed, raising speculation about whether Usman might be injured. If Usman is not ready, Magny sees Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) as the UFC’s next choice, despite being on a three-fight losing skid.

Although Magny meets Gilbert Burns on Jan. 21 at UFC 283, it was Masvidal who was first linked to a bout with Burns before “Durinho” decided to move on. Magny understands Masvidal’s reluctance to fight Burns, claiming that he could potentially be in the title race considering his history with Edwards.

“At the end of the day, one of the biggest things about combat sports right now is the fact that it’s a viewership sport,” Magny told Sportskeeda. “I mean, it shows with boxing and others sports, where if guys are able to sell pay-per-views and put on a good show, that’s the fight to make.

“So right now, with all the speculation going around, whether Usman’s going to fight in March or not, I can definitely see Masvidal swooping in and having a third title shot even though he’s coming off three losses.”

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Masvidal attacked Edwards backstage when they both competed at a UFC London event in March 2019. Edwards has been eager to get his revenge and even contemplated making his first title defense against Masvidal, who campaigned for a fight as soon as Edwards became champion.

A potential hold-up to booking any Masvidal fight could be his ongoing legal issues.

Masvidal was detained and arrested by Miami Beach (Fla.) police on March 23 for allegedly attacking Colby Covington outside a restaurant. He has a pre-trial hearing set for Feb. 15, with an anticipated trial date of Feb. 27.

If found guilty, Masvidal could face up to 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine for second-degree felony aggravated battery with additional penalties possible for criminal mischief charge.

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MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month for November: Zhang Weili’s title-winning choke

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from November 2022.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from November 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for November.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

Nominees

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 21-27)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Nov. 21-27.

Gilbert Burns vs. Neil Magny targeted for UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro

A key welterweight matchup is in the works for UFC 283.

A key UFC top 15 welterweight matchup is heading to Brazil.

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] will get his wish of fighting in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 283 on Jan. 21, as a matchup against [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] is in the works. Sources with knowledge of the pairing confirmed to MMA Junkie that verbal agreements are in place. The news of the fight was first reported by ESPN.

UFC 283 takes place at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, and currently features the fourth flyweight title bout between champion Deiveson Figueiredo and former champ Brandon Moreno.

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Burns (20-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) will return home to take on another top welterweight. Having traded wins and losses over his past four fights, the 36-year-old Brazilian will look to rebound from a loss to Khamzat Chimaev in one of the best fights of 2022. Burns got his hand raised against Stephen Thompson at UFC 264, defeating the fellow former title challenger by unanimous decision.

After a three-fight 2022 campaign, Magny (27-9 MMA, 20-8 UFC) will enter his first fight of the new year on the heels of a third-round submission victory over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 214 in November. The win was a nice bounce back from a submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in June, which followed a split decision win over Max Griffin in March.

Burns currently holds the No. 7 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, with Magny at No. 15.

With the addition, the current UFC 283 lineup includes:

  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – for flyweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Neil Magny
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Lauren Murphy
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Mounir Lazzez
  • Zarah Fairn vs. Josiane Nunes
  • Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brad Tavares
  • Ihor Potieria vs. Mauricio Rua
  • Paul Craig vs. Johnny Walker
  • Ismael Bonfim vs. Terrance McKinney
  • Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida
  • Guram Kutateladze vs. Thiago Moises
  • Warlley Alves vs. Nicolas Dalby

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.

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Neil Magny calls out ‘best grappler in the division’ Gilbert Burns, who issues response

Gilbert Burns wasted no time responding to Neil Magny’s callout at UFC Fight Night 214.

If there’s one thing [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] has proven in his UFC tenure, it’s that he’s not afraid of a challenge.

Whether it was repeatedly calling out Khamzat Chimaev, fighting the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov or one of other numerous examples, Magny (27-9 MMA, 20-8 UFC) is consistent about asking for the toughest matchups. That’s why, after submitting Daniel Rodriguez in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 214 co-headliner, Magny called out [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag].

Magny specifically asked for a showdown with Burns (20-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21, and he said much of his request stems from a desire to show exactly where his ground game holds up.

“I love competition,” Magny told reporters of his callout of Burns at the UFC Fight Night 214 post-event news conference. “You look at my last fight, and I lost by submission, and it really frustrated me. Gilbert Burns is, in my opinion, the best grappler in the division right now, so for me to go out there and test myself against another great grappler just shows me like, ‘Am I going to chalk up my last fight to a loss?’ I feel like I did a lot of growing in that fight against Shavkat, and I feel like challenging myself in a fight against Gilbert Burns to go out and show it.”

Although Burns is several steps up from Magny in the UFC welterweight rankings, the callout did not fall on deaf ears. Burns wasted no time getting back and said that while UFC 283 fits the timeline for his next fight, it’s his understanding the promotion is going in a different direction in terms of matchmakings (via Twitter):

Congrats @NeilMagny last time I heard @ufc said I have an opponent for 🇧🇷 if he doesn’t show up, we can dance I’m in 💯% to make this Fight happen! For now great finish and congrats on your record! ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

If the opportunity to get the fight comes up for Magny, be it naturally or on short notice, he will almost certainly pounce.

Magny, 35, has flourished in the UFC by taking chances, and it’s in part about he became the first 170-pound fighter to reach 20 victories inside the octagon.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 214.

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