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It looks like the feud between Khamzat Chimaev and Neil Magny is beginning to heat up. The two UFC welterweights have been taking jabs at each other on social media lately. Chimaev has called-out Magny for a fight in June 2021.
Khamzat Chimaev has been out of competition due to the aftereffects of a Covid-19 infection. 'Borz' was scheduled to fight Leon Edwards on March 13th but the fight has now been called off. This was the UFC's third attempt at re-booking this matchup. Out of frustration due to inactivity, Edwards is now moving on to fight Belal Muhammad on March 13th.
As the fight with Leon seems to have fallen through, it appears that Khamzat Chimaev is targeting Neil Magny as is next opponent. Magny, who is currently ranked #9, lost to Michael Chiesa last month. Chimaev took a jab at Magny and mocked the 'Haitian Sensation' on losing to Chiesa.
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Neil Magny replied to this jibe by the Swedish fighter and promised to 'slap' the Chimaev in their next meeting. Refering to this back-and-forth on Twitter, Chimaev has offered to fight Magny in June when he makes a full recovery. 'Borz' also replied to the 'slap' comment made by Neil Magny.
How Khamzat Chimaev became a fan-favorite despite having just three fights in the UFC?
Khamzat Chimaev broke into the UFC with a dominant debut performance against middleweight John Phillips in July last year. His quick turnaround just ten days later to fight Rhys McKee at welterweight made him noticed among fans. The Swedish fighter garnered several thousand followers on social media overnight and established himself as one of the most promising prospects of 2020.
At UFC FN: 178, Khamzat Chimaev secured an impressive knockout victory over Gerald Meerschaert. Meerschaert was knocked out in just 17 seconds.
UFC president Dana White seemed to be singing Khamzat Chimaev's praises after his consecutive victories. In a press-conference leading to UFC FN: 178, White lauded Chimaev's willingness to take fight on short notice.
"He wants all these fights back-to-back. It’s no disrespect to his opponent. He’s either going to win or lose. That has nothing to do with us, that’s up to them. But to do that, for him to fight two fights in a row, you have to book him. And for a guy like him — I would never do that for someone else. I would be like, ‘Relax, let’s see if you get through this fight.’ But what I’ve seen from him, I’m willing to do that for him", said Dana White.
Khmazat Chimaev bagged the Fan Choice 'Debut of the Year' award in 2020. His charitable nature captured in this video, showing him helping what seems to be a homeless person, adds to his fan-friendly persona.
