UFC Fight Island 8: Michael Chiesa vs Neil Magny Preview

At the UFC’s second event of the year, welterweight contenders Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny are set to compete in the main event at UFC Fight Island 8 on Wednesday.

The event was originally scheduled to be headlined by Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards, but the fight was called off after the breakout star tested positive for the coronavirus. Although Chiesa vs Magny doesn’t have the Chimaev-Edwards sort of hype surrounding it, the bout is still a fine addition to the promotion’s third Fight Island visit.

Michael Chiesa vs Neil Magny

Chiesa vs Magny is too close to call, as both fighters have more than one way to victory. Magny is certainly the better striker going into UFC Fight Island 8. He has got a better technique, is more clinical, has a healthy reach advantage, and can knock out any fighter on his day. But Chiesa has a very reliable chin as he has never been knocked out in his career.

On the mat, the tide turns in Chiesa’s favor as he’s the better grappler, with 11 submission wins to his name. Magny isn’t a rookie on the ground either, but given the fact that four of his seven losses have come by the way of submission, he would certainly want to keep the fight standing.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1351433608767164417

The two fighters are also coming off three back-to-back victories, which means both will enter the Octagon on Wednesday with almost the same degree of momentum on their sides. Both Chiesa and Magny also have solid conditioning, so that wouldn’t be much of a problem either.

All in all, there aren’t too many disparities between the two fighters, except for their styles, and everything indicates that the UFC Fight Island 8 main event is going to be a great battle.

Mounir Lazzez vs Warlley Alves

Mounir Lazzez vs Warlley Alves isn’t a star-studded co-main event, since both fighters are relatively unknown, but it’s still a reasonable fight. Alves’ most notable win came against Colby Covington but that was some years ago. As of now, he is on a rocky path with a 2-2 record in his last four fights.

Lazzez, on the other hand, is coming off a solid debut win against Abdul Razzak Al Hassan. He’s also riding a three-fight win streak, therefore, the Tunisian would be oozing with confidence. Moreover, he’s also the better grappler out of the two and at the end of the day, has the upper hand over his opponent.

Isaac Villanueva vs Vinicius Moreira

Villanueva vs Moreira is a fight between two guys desperately looking for a win. Villanueva has lost two on the bounce, while Moreira has three consecutive losses to his name.

It’s do-or-die for both, but if one were to bet on either of the two, the money should be on Moreira, because he is the better striker, the better grappler, the bigger guy and is five years younger than Villanueva, who is 36-years-old.

UFC Fight Island 8: Chiesa vs Magny Main Card

Viviane Araujo vs Roxanne Modafferi

In her last eight fights, veteran fighter Roxanne Modafferi has alternated wins with losses. In simpler terms, her record in her past eight fights goes something like this: loss, win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, win. Mathematically, she should lose her next fight, and her opponent has the perfect skills to make sure Modafferi’s record remains sequential.

Araujo has won three of her last four fights, is a very well-rounded fighter and is certainly better than the American fighter in all areas. She’s also a massive favorite.

Umar Nurmagomedov vs Sergey Morozov

Originally scheduled for UFC 257, the UFC decided to reschedule Umar Nurmagomedov’s fight with Sergey Morozov at UFC Fight Island 8, because they couldn’t afford Team Khabib Nurmagomedov and Team Conor McGregor being under one roof on January 23rd.

https://twitter.com/BigMarcel24/status/1348724800693407747

Umar is a gigantic favorite against Sergey Morozov, partly because he’s a Nurmagomedov, but majorly because he’s exceptionally well-rounded. Not only does he have annihilating Sambo skills he’s supposed to have on his resume, but he’s also one of the best strikers to come out of the Nurmagomedov family. The undefeated 25-year-old is better than Morozov everywhere, and anything other than a victory would be a major upset for Khabib’s younger brother.

What are your predictions for the UFC Fight Island 8 card, headlined by Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny?

What’s More On Fight Island?

UFC Fight Island 7 (also UFC on ABC 1) took place on January 16th, where Max Holloway put on a record-breaking beating on Calvin Kattar, landing an unbelievable number of 445 significant strikes on his opponent to earn a unanimous decision victory.

After UFC Fight Island 8 on Wednesday, the UFC will wrap-up its third edition of Fight Island at UFC 257, headlined by lightweight royalty Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.