Neil Magny says Khamzat Chimaev is all talk: “This guy is not out there trying to fight these legit guys”
UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny says that Khamzat Chimaev is all talk and is not convinced he wants to fight top fighters.
Magny is coming off of a great win over Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 26 to solidify his spot in the welterweight top-10. One of the fights that fans have proposed is a matchup between Magny and Chimaev, the top prospect in the UFC’s 170lbs division. Chimaev hasn’t fought since last fall when he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert as he’s been battling COVID-19 all of 2021. Now that he’s getting healthy and ready to return to action, Chimaev has targeted Magny as one of his potential opponents. But if you ask Magny, Chimaev is all talk and he’s not convinced he actually wants the fight.
Speaking to James Lynch, Magny criticized Chimaev for being ‘all talk,’ confirming that Chimaev turned down a fight against him last December when Leon Edwards fell out of their fight.
“Yeah, man, at this point it’s all talk, dude. The guy’s out there saying whatever comes to mind and hoping it sticks. I mean, he went so far as to say he’ll fight Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya, and Jan Blachowicz on the same night. It’s like dude, it’s all cap. This guy is not out there trying to fight these legit guys. He had an opportunity to fight me back in December when Leon Edwards was forced to pull out of his fight, and he and his camp chose not to. So the idea that I’m afraid of him or ducking him or waiting for the right time to fight him, it’s all false. The ball was in his court on December 19 to fight me, and he chose not to, he chose to try to wait, and he ended up pulling out of the fight. The matter’s out there. The fact that I’m willing to fight him any day of the week is out there. The ball’s in his court now as far as when he decides to step up,” Magny said.
Do you want to see Neil Magny fight Khamzat Chimaev or someone else next?
