“I feel defeated by the whole situation,” Neil Magny upset about dropped fight against Khamzat Chimaev


“I feel defeated by the whole situation,” Neil Magny upset about dropped fight against Khamzat Chimaev
Neil Magny and Khamzat Chimaev

Neil Magny was supposed to take on the “Borz” Khamzat Chimaev on December 19th. However, it has since been revealed that the undefeated Chimaev has dropped the fight; and will instead fight Leon Edwards for December 1 bout. This, in some ways makes sense considering that Edwards is ranked at number 3 in the rankings as compared to Magny at 8th; since Chimaev has wanted to fight higher ranked fighters.

However, this now means that Neil Magny is still without a fight. Talking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Magny said he was very upset that he didn’t get the fight, and that it went to Edwards instead.

“It was pretty frustrating that I didn’t get that matchup,” Neil Magny

Magny (24-7) is currently on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC. Magny won decisions in 2020 against Robbie Lawler, Anthony Rocco Martin and Li Jingliang. The 33-year-old is now looking for tougher opponents, and Chimaev fit the bill perfectly. But the Swede opted out of their match and chose to fight Edwards.

FS Video

“It was pretty frustrating that I didn’t get that matchup,” Magny said. “But it was even more frustrating that it went to Leon Edwards. The only thing I can possibly think of that caused this fight not to go through is (Chimaev’s) team thought it was a better matchup for him,” Magny added. “I’m not gonna sit there and toot my own horn and say that fighting a No. 8 guy is a better deal than fighting a No. 3 guy. But I’m pretty sure his team might’ve thought that Leon Edwards is the easier fight for him.”

Moreover, he also added that he felt “defeated” by the whole situation, and desperately wanted an opponent. “I honestly feel kind of defeated by the whole situation,” Magny said. “I mean, if it wasn’t Khamzat, then give me somebody. Give me (Michael) Chiesa, give me ‘Wonderboy,’ give me any of these guys that are ranked and haven’t fought in a while,” Magny stated.

Also Read: Khabib predicts likely winners of UFC 251 at fight Island