What’s next for Michael Chiesa & Neil Magny following UFC Fight Island 8

UFC Fight Island 8 was a rare Wednesday afternoon card and for those that tuned in to watch the event live on ESPN, they saw a great afternoon of fights.

In the main event, Michael Chiesa returned to the octagon in a big way as he out grappled Neil Magny on way to a lopsided unanimous decision win.

Now that the event is over let’s find out what’s next for the men involved in Wednesday’s main event.

Michael Chiesa
Result: defeated Neil Magny by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Island 8
Next: Stephen Thompson

Chiesa looked fantastic in his first fight in exactly one year.

Aside from his great performance he had a great callout to Colby Covington. Unfortunately I don’t see him getting that fight. Not because I don’t like the matchup, but because I feel like Covington and Jorge Masvidal will finally fight each other this year.

I do like a matchup with Wonderboy though. A world class striker vs. a world class grappler. That’s a fun fight.

Now the welterweight division does have some moving parts in the next weeks. Champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns fight in a few weeks and following that, Leon Edwards fights Khamzat Chimaev.

Both Wonderboy and Chiesa want a big fight so if one of them has the opportunity to jump on one as the next few weeks play out I’m such they will take it. However, if Thompson and Chiesa fight in the next few months, the winner would be guaranteed a huge fight that they both crave.

Also, a sleeper as a possible next opponent for Chiesa is Tyron Woodley, who is ranked higher than him and is a former champion. A fight with Woodley would also help Chiesa’s stock continue to rise.

Neil Magny
Result: lost to Michael Chiesa by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Island 8
Next: Geoff Neal

Tough one Magny here. It was obvious that the winner of Wednesday’s main event had a lot of good things going for them as you just saw all the possible big name opponents out there for Chiesa.

As the top eight fighters play things out in a crowded division, Magny, who is currently ranked at No. 9, is most likely going to have to fight someone ranked lower than him so I feel like Neal is likely to be his next opponent.

Neal is coming off a loss to Wonderboy, but his stock didn’t drop drastically as many people believe he has the talent to make a run in the division. If he’s going to make that run after suffering a loss, then Magny is a good starting point.

A sleeper in this case is Li Jingliang, who is coming off a huge knockout victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Island 7. The reason why it’s a sleeper is because Jingliang has a lot of momentum and Magny holds a win over him and I’m sure he’d like to have back.