On January 20, Neil Magny will compete in his third UFC main event while facing Michael Chiesa in a five-round welterweight match between some top-10 fighters.
But the spot on the head opened just a few days ago after the original main match was scrapped when Khamzat Chimaev could not compete due to a battle with COVID-19. Despite only three fights in the promotion and only one win in the welterweight division, Chimaev is an opportunity in a major match against a top-five opponent in Leon Edwards.
Even before the fight against Chimaev against Edwards was pushed back, many fighters who had been looking for the spotlight for years were understandable because a rookie with opponents with a combined UFC record of 7-13 got a starring role. event against a legitimate title candidate.
However, do not count Magny among them, because although he likes to share the main event with Chiesa, he did not see a problem that Chimaev gets so much attention after only a few fights in the UFC.
“At the end of the day, if you think about some of the complaints that fighters have in general, it could be marketed by the UFC and more paid for by the UFC,” Magny explained when he spoke to MMA. Fight. ‘The fact that Chimaev was able to do in just three fights what he did in the UFC, I say more power to you.
‘For him to get to the point where he’s fighting some of these guys in the top 10, top five, if he believes he can hang out with the guys, you absolutely have to put it to the test. I’m not going to sit there and say you’m not ready for that. ”
Before his fight against Chiesa was discussed, Magny actually offered to defy Chimaev when apparently there were no welterweights who wanted to accept the challenge when the UFC wanted to offer him a lock for main events.
Magny has never backed down from any opportunity the UFC has given him and he is definitely not going to start with Chimaev.
“If you believe you can go with the best guys in the division and the UFC wants to fight the fight, I would 100% welcome the opportunity,” Magny said. “I’ll beat him to the point that everyone realizes he has more work to do, or that the man is happy and is beating me, and he can actually say that I told you I was ready for it.”
In many ways, Magny Chimaev compares to a high-profile rookie who comes from the concept in a sport like football or basketball, where athletes regularly sign million-million contracts before ever putting a ball through a ring or as a ‘professional player’ .
In the long run, the 33-year-old veteran hopes more fighters will be able to utilize terms similar to what Chimaev made by storming the scene and creating the kind of hype where he is linked to the number 3 welterweight. in his fourth fight with the promotion.
‘I think these are the moments and it’s the shifts that make it possible for our sport to be more comparable to other sports like basketball or football, where these younger guys, these rookies can get these big contracts early and some kind of increase. the pay status for all the athletes under that banner, ”Magny explained. ‘You guys have guys coming from high school, a new university that can go play for the NBA, for the NFL and they can play against some of the best guys who are all five in the league. six, ten years plus for some of these guys.
‘It’s whether you can hang out with the guys or not. I think bringing in fresh blood, a fresh face like Chimaev in the UFC, helps everyone across the board. Not only him, not only the experienced warriors, but also all the other warriors who come after him. ”
As the old saying goes that a rising tide lifts all boats, Magny believes the impact of fighters like Chimaev will only help other athletes in the future to join the UFC roster.
“It raises the standard, it raises the bar for new fighters entering the UFC,” Magny said. ‘Right now, it’s a standard that most fighters entering the UFC get the contract [$10,000 to show and $10,000 to win] and depending on how their battles go, they can continue from there.
“But if guys like Chimaev are able to come to the UFC and make big waves and make the pay jump [$20,000 to show, $20,000 to win] or whatever it may be, I think it’s positive for everyone. ”
That said, Magny is obviously more than happy to take the place vacated by Chimaev, as he wants to start 2021 with a big win of his own to set up an even better year for himself.
“This is a great opportunity for both Michael Chiesa and I to go and prove why we are two of the best welterweights in the division,” said Magny. ‘It was a bit overshadowed by the Khamzat hype and Leon Edwards was inactive. It took the ups and downs of this fight. I feel like everything is being played out the right way so Chiesa and I can go sparkle. ”