Neil Magny explains why he chose to call out Kamaru Usman

Shortly after his first-round TKO win over late-notice replacement opponent Craig White, long-time welterweight contender Neil Magny issued a clever callout of surging star Kamaru Usman.

“Kamaru Usman, you’ve been calling me out for two years; it’s time for me to beat that ass, baby,” Magny said in his Octagon interview with UFC color commentator Dan Hardy.

Shortly after this in-cage callout, a classy Magny elaborated on his choice to target Usman.

“He’s proved himself to be a great fighter so far,” Magny said at the UFC Liverpool post-fight press conference. “He’s got a lot accomplished in the division right now. He’s in the top five now, so it makes sense for me to want to call out a guy who’s actually proven himself time and time again rather than someone else. So if it ends of coming through, I’ll take the fight. If not, we’ll see what happens.”

While Magny recognizes the dangers that Usman presents, he feels he’s got the skills to stop the surging contender’s momentum and usurp his spot in the contendership race.

“This is one of the things that makes me a good fighter – I’m able to adapt to things as they come,” Magny said. “He’s shown a lot of things in the past, and obviously wrestling being his strong suit, I’m not afraid of where the fight goes. If he wants to keep it standing, I can find a way to beat him standing. If he wants to wrestle, I’ll find a way to beat him wrestling. If it goes to the ground, I’ll find a way to find a submission or reverse it and I’m on top, and then finish the fight.

“I’m not afraid to go anywhere this fight is going to potentially take me, and that’s what excites me about it.”

Does a fight between Neil Magny and Kamaru Usman interest you?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/28/2018.