Neil Magny likes the idea of fighting Vicente Luque next time out.
After Magny beat Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 26, he called out Luque but also mentioned Khamzat Chimaev as a possible opponent. Now, just days later, he says his main focus is fighting Luque but says if Chimaev keeps running his mouth he wants to shut him up.
“Ideally if it was a perfect-world scenario, I’d be fighting a guy like Vicente Luque,” Magny told MMA Junkie Radio on Monday. “Vicente Luque is on an impressive win streak right now. He’s ranked in the top 10, so that’s definitely a guy that moves my career forward as far as getting closer to that top five and closer to a title shot.
“But at the end of the day, this is also an entertainment sport, as well, and a guy like Khamzat Chimaev has been running his mouth a lot,” Magny continued. “He’s definitely a guy that needs to get in there and get a fight. So if I’m unable to get a fight against a top-ranked opponent, I’m definitely not opposed to fighting a guy like Khamzat Chimaev in August.”
Neil Magny returned to the win column on Saturday after losing a decision to Michael Chiesa in the main event of a Fight Island card in January.
Regardless of the next opponent, Magny says he just wants to stay active and work his way up the welterweight ranks.
“Last year I was getting a lot of credit from the media and the fans for stepping up and going out publicly and saying that I want to fight these different guys, but those fights never panned out,” Magny said. “And I ended up sitting there waiting two months, three months, four months for a fight, and it never really matured into anything. So at this point, (I’m) realizing that I’m not getting any younger by the day.
“I’m in my prime right now. I want to make sure I make the most of that and make the best of this opportunity, so if it means I have to fight three, four guys before I get a title shot, then I’m willing to do that. The one thing I’m not willing to do is wait around for that perfect, ideal matchup. I’m willing to go out there and make the perfect opportunity for myself,” Magny concluded.
