Neil Magny knows that it’s a tough ask to take on a Brazilian fighter in their home country, but the American intends to feed off the crowd’s energy at UFC 283.
The 35-year-old is coming off a fairly active 2022 that saw him go 2-1 across three bouts. Magny began the year with a split decision over Max Griffin before being submitted by the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in June, but he closed out the year on a high note by finishing Daniel Rodriguez in the third round of their fight last November.
Currently ranked as the UFC’s #12 welterweight, Magny will have a huge chance to jump up in the rankings when he takes on #5-ranked Gilbert Burns at UFC 283. Burns is only two fights removed from challenging for the UFC’s welterweight title, and the Brazilian last fought when he gave Khamzat Chimaev the toughest test of his career so far at UFC 273.
Facing a fighter as skilled as Burns is already a significant challenge, but the matchup will be made all the more difficult for Magny due to the fact that UFC 283 is the UFC’s first card in Brazil since 2020.
Magny Hopes To Be Motivated By Chants In Brazil
UFC 283 includes at least one Brazilian fighter in every scheduled matchup, and “The Haitian Sensation” indicated at the event’s media day that he’d be ready for any negative chants from the local fans.
“It’s gonna feel great… I don’t speak Portuguese.” Magny said. “So I have no idea what they’re saying, so to me it’s just like, ‘Oh yeah, they love me.’
“So just kinda like making that chant your own kinda thing, you know just like, ‘Oh man, what are they saying?’ Or just like, ‘I don’t know what they’re saying, but they sound like they love me, so imma go with that’ and let it fire me up on fight night.”
Magny has alternated wins and losses during his last few fights but was on a three-fight win streak in 2020. A win over Burns would be a significant name on the 35-year-old’s record and also kick off a two-fight run against top welterweights.
Burns and Magny will meet on the main card of UFC 283, which is topped by a pair of title fights featuring popular Brazilian fighters.The co-main event will see Deiveson Figueiredo defend his flyweight belt in a fourth fight with Brandon Moreno, and in the card’s headliner Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill will battle for the vacant light heavyweight belt.
What’s your reaction to how Magny intends to use the chants from Brazilian fans at UFC 283?
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