Neil Magny on fight against Michael Chiesa: “I’m going to make him question being in there with a guy like me”
As the UFC prepares to return for three fights in ten days starting January 16, a welterweight contenders showdown between Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa will serve as the main event for UFC Fight Island 8 on Wednesday, January 20. In his time away from active competition, Chiesa has served as an analyst for events on ESPN+ and his upcoming opponent has taken notice.
During a recent interview with ‘MMA Tonight’ on Sirius XM, Nagy was asked about his matchup against Chiesa and said he’s taken notice of Chiesa’s work as an analyst and believes he’ll make him think about making that job more permanent after their fight. Chiesa has not fought since January 2020 when he picked up a win over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and has dealt with injuries since then. Nagy believes this fight will be a true test for both of them.
🔊 "It's about bringing a fight to him that makes him question whether or not he wants to fight anymore." 👊@NeilMagny tells @RJcliffordMMA & @lionheartasmith that he wants Michael Chiesa to question why he's in the octagon with a guy like him. pic.twitter.com/FIIhpFjUJl
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 6, 2021
“I feel like it’s going to be a good mental battle for me and Chiesa going into this fight. The weight cut was getting more and more brutal for him to the point he had to move up a weight class. He does have that desk job so to speak and to be honest, he does it pretty well. He’s a pretty good commentator. For me going into this fight, it’s about bringing that dog, it’s about bringing a fight to him that makes him question whether or not he wants to fight anymore.”
With the work as an analyst going well for Chiesa and his time away due to injuries, Neil Magny told ‘MMA Tonight’ that he wants Chiesa to really consider his fighting future.
“Right now, he’s coming back from injury, he’s coming back from being out for a year and he could ride off into the sunset and stay behind the desk and enjoy life there. So in this fight I’ll make him question why he’s in there fighting a guy like me. Whatever he has to give and give right back to him, looking to break this guy. I want to really make this fight one of the most difficult things he’s ever done in his life and question being in there with a guy like me.”
Safe to say that Neil Magny is not taking this fight lightly against Michael Chiesa and by the sound of things, he’s looking to make sure his opponent not only takes notice, but reconsiders the future of his fighting career.
