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ABU DHABI – Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa weren’t in the initial plans to headline UFC on ESPN 20, but promotion chairman Dana White still thinks they deserve it.
Originally slated to be at the top of the map was a different welterweight fight, one between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. The fight was postponed when Chimaev was unable to shake off symptoms of COVID-19. Magny and Chiesa, who were supposed to face each other on the sub-map, were later elevated to the main event.
“Magny, in my opinion, never gets the credit he deserves,” White told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “This guy fought everyone. He is ready to fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. You have to like guys like that. I’m actually happy for him to have a seat at the main event.
“Chiesa is a stud farm and has also been around for a long time. It’s a well-deserved fight. (It wasn’t) who we planned to be there, but (it’s) awesome for these two guys.
UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Wednesday at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on ESPN after preliminaries on ESPN / ESPN +.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full exclusive interview with Dana White in the video below:
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