Neil Magny shuts down Khamzat Chimaev’s request to fight in July

UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny shut down Khamzat Chimaev’s request to fight in July, saying that Chimaev should get healthy first.

Chimaev announced this week that he will be returning to the Octagon this summer, and he’s already been busy calling out Magny again. Chimaev is hoping to get a fight with someone ranked near the top-10 and Magny is available. Hopefully, Chimaev has been ill with COVID-19 for the last few months and he hasn’t been able to fight. Now that there is light at the end of the tunnel and he plans on making his return this summer, he’s looking to make a splash in his comeback, and beating a veteran like Magny qualifies as doing that.

Speaking to Damon Martin, Magny said that he would be interested in fighting Chimaev, but it won’t happen in July, as Magny is not willing to put his career on hold until then.

Neil Magny tells me he’s definitely down to fight Khamzat Chimaev but July is a long time away:#UFC pic.twitter.com/u1tMTiADte

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) March 25, 2021

“I will fight him any day of the week. But there’s no way I’m putting my career on hold so that he could hopefully fight me come July. He needs to focus on getting healthy first. The ass-whooping he’s been asking for is long overdue, and is waiting on him,” Magny wrote.

Chimaev was originally set to fight Leon Edwards, who is one of the top-five ranked fighters in the division, but after he pulled out with COVID-19, Edwards ended up fighting Belal Muhammad to a No Contest. The UFC might run that fight back, or might give Edwards another top-ranked opponent, but Chimaev likely wouldn’t get someone that highly-ranked coming off of his long layoff. Magny would be the ideal opponent, but it appears as though Chimaev is going to have to prove himself a bit more before Magny is interested in him.

Do you want to see Neil Magny vs. Khamzat Chimaev next, or would you like the UFC to find different opponents for them?