Neil Magny on training session with ‘real deal’ Khamzat Chimaev: ‘I f—ed around and found out’

Neil Magny thinks Khamzat Chimaev is “the real deal”. After getting to train with him recently in New York, Magny confirmed that Chimaev is…

By: Lewis McKeever | 8 months ago
Neil Magny on training session with ‘real deal’ Khamzat Chimaev: ‘I f—ed around and found out’
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Neil Magny thinks Khamzat Chimaev is “the real deal”.

After getting to train with him recently in New York, Magny confirmed that Chimaev is every bit as talented and dangerous as his MMA record (12-0) and recent performances in the UFC would suggest.

Magny admits that Khamzat got the better of him in training and says that things escalated really quickly once they started grappling, telling Ariel Helwani (h/t MMA Fighting), “the guy is definitely the real deal. The best way I can explain it is like, I f***** around and found out. Khamzat is definitely the real deal.”

“I went in there thinking, ‘Oh, here’s this sweet little wolf that I can train with in jiu-jitsu,’ and then things got real, real fast. There’s more hats to the guy, more so realizing, damn, this guy is actually the real deal. He’s not a fighter or fight I can take lightly at all. If I’m being honest, had I got that fight early on, I might have set myself up for failure, looking past him a little bit.”

“Initially there wasn’t any tense moments at all, it was just an opportunity where it was like, ‘I’m here to train, you’re here to train,’ it was very respectful, going through the motions, not super competitive,” he added.

“But that escalated very quickly. It went from that to a full on grappling match, getting slammed, all this kind of crazy stuff. So yeah, it definitely escalated quickly there.”

There is also video footage of the training session, which can be watched below.

Magny returns to the Octagon this Saturday as he faces off against Gilbert Burns at UFC 283. Meanwhile, Khamzat is scheduled to make his comeback in March against a yet-to-be-announced opponent.



Official UFC Fight Poster: UFC 283 – TWO TITLE FIGHTS! Teixeira vs Hill & Figueiredo vs Moreno 4

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WATCH UFC 283!!! VIEW TWO TITLE FIGHTS on Saturday, January, 2023 as UFC on ESPN+ brings you the first UFC PPV EVENT of 2023! Stream Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill battling for the Vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in the Main Event. Plus, history in the making with Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno 4 for the UFC Flyweight Championship!

Plus: Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker, Jéssica Andrade vs Lauren Murphy, Gilbert Burns vs Neil Magny ALL ON THE MAIN PPV CARD! PRECEDED BY A FULLY STACKED UNDERCARD!

Broadcast LIVE from the #JeunesseArena out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, exclusively on ESPN+: PPV CARD 10/7PM ETPT, Featured Prelims on ESPN2 or ESPN+ 8/5PM ETPT, & Early Prelims on UFC Fight Pass at 5:30/2:30PM ETPT. Stay tuned to Bloodyelbow.com for all the details on this event!

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Lewis McKeever
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