Magny 'dumbfounded' after not getting Chimaev fight

UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny is disappointed he won't be fighting Khamzat Chimaev on Dec. 19.

Magny expressed interest in the matchup earlier in October, and UFC president Dana White noted that he was among the few fighters willing to take the clash.

But the promotion went in a different direction, booking Chimaev - the sport's hottest prospect - against No. 3-ranked Leon Edwards in the UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas.

"It was pretty frustrating that I didn't get that matchup," Magny told ESPN's Ariel Helwani in an interview released Wednesday. "But it was even more frustrating that it went to Leon Edwards."

Magny said his manager told him last week that the Chimaev fight was a "done deal." The next day, Magny found out about the Edwards booking, and he was "dumbfounded." He still doesn't know what happened.

"The only thing I can possibly think of that caused this fight not to go through is (Chimaev's) team thought it was a better matchup for him," Magny said. "I'm not gonna sit there and toot my own horn and say that fighting a No. 8 guy is a better deal than fighting a No. 3 guy. But I'm pretty sure his team might've thought that Leon Edwards is the easier fight for him."

Magny is coming off a win over former champion Robbie Lawler in August. Now, all he can do is wait for a new matchup.

"I honestly feel kind of defeated by the whole situation," Magny said. "I mean, if it wasn't Khamzat, then give me somebody. Give me (Michael) Chiesa, give me 'Wonderboy,' give me any of these guys that are ranked and haven't fought in a while."