5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 20

Can’t stop, won’t stop: Just four days after the first UFC event of the year, the company is right back in action. UFC on ESPN 20 is the middle show in a run of three cards in eight days to kick off the 2021 schedule, and it goes down Wednesday.

An intriguing welterweight main event featuring a pair of hard-working competitors who have labored long to earn this spot takes headlines status, as Michael Chiesa takes on Neil Magny.

UFC on ESPN 20 takes place Wednesday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN.

Without further ado, then, here are five burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 20.

Is Michael Chiesa finally ready to make a title run?

Jan 25, 2020; Raleigh, NC, USA; Michael Chiesa (blue gloves) defeats Rafael Dos Anjos (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

At lightweight, Chiesa (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was a respectable name on the card. "The Ultimate Fighter 15" winner's fights were usually exciting, and there was more than one occasion in which he appeared right on the brink of title contention. But he never quite got there. At welterweight, though, Chiesa looks like he's finally found his fit. No longer undergoing massive weight cuts, Chiesa has added speed and endurance while retaining his power, and at 33 is in that sweet spot where he has plenty of knowledge while still at peak physical abilities. Wins over Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez, while headline grabbing, could be dismissed as fights against opponents past their prime. A win over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos last time out was legit. A win over one of the division's most respected mainstays in Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) would make him 4-0 at 170 pounds and announcer him as a real title contender once and for all.

... or is it Neil Magny's turn for a run at the top?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 06: (L-R) Neil Magny punches Anthony Rocco Martin in their welterweight bout during the UFC 250 event at UFC APEX on June 06, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Aside from the bit about moving up from lightweight, this fight has all the same meaning for Magny as it does for Chiesa, which is a solid part of what makes this such an intriguing matchup. Magny had an outstanding 2020, winning three fights in a five-month span, the latter of which was a unanimous decision over former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. The Colorado-based competitor might have the be the most low-key fighter ever to record as many victories as he has in UFC competition (17). Which might help explain why at age 33 he's just now worked his way into this spot. Another factor? He's suffered losses when he's sniffed this position before, just like his opponent on the other side of the cage. One of these guys vaults into real contender status once and for all at UFC on ESPN 20. The other doesn't, and might not ever. It doesn't get more cut and dried than that.

Can Mounir Lazzez prove himself the real deal?

We're not going to lie, here: The knee-jerk response when you see that Warlley Alves vs. Mounir Lazzez is the co-feature bout of the year's second UFC card is to think the promotion is still just throwing lineups against the wall to see what sticks. But these middleweights were originally scheduled in a main-card spot, which it deserves to be, and then got bumped up when the originally planned main event of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards was scrapped. Take the card placement out of the equation and this is an intriguing matchup. Alves (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) got off to a hot start in the UFC after winning "TUF: Brazil 3," but he's since cooled off, dropping two of his past three and four of his past seven. Tunisia's Lazzez (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), meanwhile, made waves on the Middle Eastern regional circuit by earning finishes in eight of his first nine victories, then gained attention by defeating an established competitor in Abdul Razak Al Hassan by unanimous decision in his UFC debut in July. A victory over a recognized name in Alves would make for two in as many UFC fights, and leave no doubt Mounir is one to watch at 185 pounds.

How long can Roxanne Modafferi keep doing her thing?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) Roxanne Modafferi punches Andrea Lee in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September 12, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

What's not to love about Roxanne Modafferi? This is a woman who has been fighting since 2003, a throwback to the days before the vibe around MMA turned toxic, a "Happy Warrior" who lives up to her nickname as someone who continues to grow and improve and learn and compete simply for the love of it. But the crazy thing is, less than two years before her 40th birthday, Modafferi has become a legit spoiler in the flyweight division. Among the names she's taken out over the past three years are former Invicta champ Barb Honchak, Antonina Shevchenko, a gigantic upset over previously unbeaten Maycee Barber, and Andrea Lee, the second time she's beaten the latter. Modafferi (25-17 MMA, 4-5 UFC) kicks off her 2021 with yet another challenge in Viviane Araujo (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) The Brazilian is 3-1 in the UFC, and a win over two away from becoming a real challenger for Valentina Shevchenko's belt – exactly the type of opponent on whom Modafferi has feasted in recent outings. How long can she keep it going?

Can Lerone Murphy take the next step up?

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 16: (L-R) Lerone Murphy of England punches Ricardo Ramos of Brazil in their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 16, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Lerone Murphy sure looked sharp the last time we saw him on "Fight Island." The British featherweight pummeled Ricardo Ramos in the opening round of their July matchup, earning a first-round finish and displaying the sort of aggressive and precise form which first earned him notice. That performance earned Murphy (9-0-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) a big step up in competition, as he takes on Brazilian Douglas de Silva Andrade (26-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Heading into his 30th professional bout, Andrade's UFC stint includes victories over notables such as former bantamweight champion Renan Barao and Marlon "Chito" Vera. A win for Murphy would show once and for all he is not one to sleep on on at 145 pounds.