Michael Chiesa’s move to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division can perhaps best be described as revelatory, as “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner has rattled off three straight victories since he planted his flag at 170 pounds.
Chiesa on Wednesday will attempt to take another step toward title contention when he confronts Neil Magny in the UFC on ESPN 20 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. “Maverick” has not competed since he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 166 nearly a year ago. Magny, meanwhile, went 3-0 in 2020, with wins over Jingliang Li, Anthony Rocco Martin and Robbie Lawler.
UFC on ESPN 20 “Chiesa vs. Magny”—which airs live on ESPN at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT—also features a welterweight co-main event matching Mounir Lazzez with Warlley Alves, a light heavyweight tilt pitting Isaac Villanueva against Vinicius Moreira Castro, a featherweight scrap slotting Lerone Murphy opposite Douglas Silva de Andrade and a pair of flyweight battles, as Roxanne Modafferi meets Viviane Araujo and Tyson Nam faces Matt Schnell. ESPN will carry the entire undercard at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT, the eight-fight preliminary slate anchored by a middleweight showdown between Omari Akhmedov and Tom Breese.
A closer look at the UFC on ESPN 20 particulars:
THE LINEUP
170: Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny170: Mounir Lazzez vs. Warlley Alves
205: Isaac Villanueva vs. Vinicius Moreira Castro
125: Roxanne Modafferi vs. Viviane Araujo
125: Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
145: Lerone Murphy vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
185: Omari Akhmedov vs. Tom Breese
135: Ricky Simon vs. Gaetano Pirrello
125: Su Mudaerji vs. Zarrukh Adashev
185: Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Markus Perez
125: Francisco Figueiredo vs. Jerome Rivera
155: Mike Davis vs. Mason Jones
135: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Sergey Morozov
125: Victoria Leonardo vs. Manon Fiorot
THE RUNDOWN
• Preview• Weigh-in Report
• Media Day Interview: Michael Chiesa
• Media Day Interview: Neil Magny
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