A fight between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny has been announced as the new main event for UFC Fight Night 185 on January 20th at Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
The news will come as a further blow for Leon Edwards, who had plead to remain on the card following the collapse of his headlining clash with Khamzat Chimaev, who had to withdraw from the fight due to ongoing symptoms as a result of Covid-19.
Edwards had initially called out Jorge Masvidal to fight him instead, but it seems that won’t be happening and so ‘Rocky’ will have to remain on the sidelines for the time being, with the likelihood being that the UFC may simply be planning to reschedule his fight with Chimaev.
Edwards loss is Chiesa and Magny’s gain though as they now get a higher-profile spot for their fight, which seems like a worth replacement given that they are both ranked in the welterweight top 10 at No.8 and No.9 respectively.
A former TUF winner, Chiesa is currently riding a three-fight winning streak since moving up to 170lbs that’s seen him submit Carlos Condit and then claim decision victories over both Diego Sanchez and Rafael dos Anjos.
Magny also boasts a three-fight unbeaten stretch that’s saw him win on points against Li Jingliang, Anthony Rocco Martin and most recently Robbie Lawler.
As such this is a well matched fight and will lead a card that also features the likes of Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown and Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera.
