WASHINGTON – Neil Magny has been called out by practically the entire UFC welterweight roster and is happy to respond to one of the most recent requests.

Magny (21-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC), who’s been forced to sit out due to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension, recently has gotten his name cleared and is targeting a return in February.

Magny was scheduled to face Vicente Luque in May before testing positive for the banned substance Di-Hydroxy-LGD-4033, forcing him out of the bout. He was put on a provisional suspension, and four months later in September, he was exonerated.

Also in September, Gilbert Burns continued to surprise at welterweight by stepping in on short notice and defeating Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision in Copenhagen.

Following his win, Burns called out Magny, and with both guys looking for a fight, Magny is game for the challenge.

“Right now I think running it back with Luque makes the most sense, but after his fight with ‘Wonderboy,’ I’m sure he’s going to need some time to recover, so if his teammate, Gilbert Burns, wants to step up and finally get in the cage with me, that would be ideal,” Magny said.

“If I’m being honest, he did great since moving up to 170. He’s called me out a few times after winning his fights, so I think it’s time to put up or shut up with Gilbert Burn. So getting that fight lined up would be a great start for me going into 2020.”

Magny, who’s known for his activity, once tying the record for most UFC wins in a calendar year at five, has been forced to sit out for over a year due to his suspension. He’s coming off a knockout loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio and has used this time off to re-invent himself.

“One positive I did take away from the time off, if I looked at my last two losses in my career, I was game planned well against,” Magny said. “Like my opponents and their coaches, they did their homework. They knew exactly what to do to go in there and beat me, and they obviously executed against me, so having this year off, it really gave me some time to sit back and work on my game and evolve as a fighter.

“So the fighter I’m going to be in my next fight is something that people haven’t seen before. It’s a different side of me. It’s working with a couple new coaches and that kind of thing, so I’m bringing out new tools, bringing new things to the table, and looking to be a completely different fighter than guys have seen in the past.”