Just a few days after Max Holloway’s big win on ABC, UFC is getting right back to it from the new Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with a midweek card that has a welterweight bout between Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Live in the welterweight division. The co-main event is also a welterweight tilt, with Mounir Lazzez tangling with Warlley Alves.
We have the full fight card for you, along with UFC betting thoughts on the key matchups.
UFC on ESPN 20: Chiesa vs Magny Preview (January 20)
Main Card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Michael Chiesa vs Neil Magny (Welterweight)
Warlley Alves vs Mounir Lazzez (Welterweight)
Isaac Villanueva vs Vinicius Moreira (Light Heavyweight)
Roxanne Modafferi vs Viviane Araujo (Women’s Flyweight)
Matt Schnell vs Tyson Nam (Flyweight)
Lerone Murphy vs Douglas Silva de Andrade (Featherweight)
Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Omari Akhmedov vs Tom Breese (Middleweight)
Ricky Simon vs Gaetano Pirrello (Bantamweight)
Su Mudaerji vs Zarrukh Adashev (Flyweight)
Dalcha Lungiambula vs Markus Perez (Middleweight)
Francisco Figueiredo vs Jerome Rivera (Flyweight)
Mike Davis vs Mason Jones (Lightweight)
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Sergey Morozov (Bantamweight)
Victoria Leonardo vs Manon Fiorot (Women’s Flyweight)
Michael Chiesa vs Neil Magny is a matchup between the #8 and the #9 ranked welterweight UFC fighters, respectively, and both of them come in on a three-bout winning streak. Magny has not posted a streak longer than three fights since his seven-bout run in 2014-15. His 2020 has been strong so far, with wins over Li Jingliang, Anthony Rocco Martin and Robbie Lawler, all strong welterweights in the promotion. In all three wins, Magny utilized his reach and volume striking to pile up the points and wear down his opponents over three rounds. His evolving skill in striking — and the fact that his height and reach are larger than most of the res tof the division — have helped him compile a 17-6 record in UFC.
His biggest problem comes against opponents who have strong offensive grappling games, and he has ended up on his back too often. Demian Maia and Rafael dos Anjos are two opponents who have been able to get him onto his back and then bring a submission. He also took a big bomb against Santiago Ponzinibbio, but that knockout helped him to learn to use that height and reach to stay out of the way of the power punches coming up from shorter opponents.
Chiesa is the sort of grappler who could do damage to Magny. Chiesa started out as a lightweight and made it to the top ten in UFC but then took damage in losses to Anthony Pettis and Kevin Lee. He moved to welterweight against Carlos Condit at UFC 232 and delivered punishment to the onetime interim champion before bringing a kimura in the second round. Then he beat Diego Sanchez and dos Anjos in clear decisions.
Magny will look to stay on his feet, while Chiesa will look to move in and get the takedown. Based on their comparative results against dos Anjos, I like Chiesa to win here.
Final Prediction:
Chiesa wins via decision
Roxanne Modafferi vs Viviane Araujo also marks a #8 against a #9, this time in the women’s flyweight division. Modafferi is 38, one of the great pioneers of MMA for women, but she has gone 4-4 in her last eight bouts. She looked solid against Maycee Barber, but even after Barber injured her knee, Modafferi could not finish the fight, needing to win on the cards.
Araujo is 6-1 in her last seven fights, losing to Jessica Eye in a bout that saw Eye miss weight by almost five pounds. Araujo will have to be patient, stacking up points on the cards, because Modafferi’s style doesn’t allow opponents to get close enough to deliver highlights. Instead, you have to take a point at a time. Araujo has the skills and the stamina to get those points.
Final Prediction:
Araujo wins via decision
UFC Betting Odds
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