Michael Chiesa News

Justin Golightly - February 1, 2018

The card is only about half finished but already the UFC’s trip to Brooklyn is looking awesome. UFC 223 is topped with the huge lightweight clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, with Rose Namajunas defending her new strawweight title against the very woman she took it from, the dangerous Joanna Jedrzejczyk. That should be enough to tune in, but underneath that are just more fun scraps. The latest addition is Michael Chiesa and Anthony Pettis. More LWs are headed to Brooklyn! 🌃@MikeMav22 and @ShowtimePettis join April’s #UFC223 card. pic.twitter.com/Rc5FGVInGj

Drake Riggs - January 30, 2018

UFC 223 continues to grow! Already off to a hot start with two title fights and three Lightweight fights in total…it looks like another might be getting added! ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that a showdown between season 15 winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Michael Chiesa and former WEC and UFC Lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis could be in the cards for the night of action in Brooklyn, New York. Per sources, UFC is targeting a lightweight bout between Anthony Pettis and Michael Chiesa for UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn.

Tom Taylor - July 25, 2017

On June 25, the UFC touched down in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with UFC Fight Night 112. In the main event, Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa went to war in a compelling clash of lightweight contenders. Unfortunately this main event was shrouded in controversy, as Lee locked up a first-round rear-naked choke, but referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the action before Chiesa actually tapped. Since then, Yamasaki has defended his stoppage, while the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission (OSAC) has denied Chiesa’s appeal. Despite this, Chiesa still feels he was shorted, and is harboring quite a bit of resentment against Yamasaki. On Monday’s edition of the MMA Hour, the lightweight even challenged the referee to a September 30 grappling match.

Tom Taylor - June 26, 2017

Last night, in the main event of the UFC’s anticipated trip to Oklahoma City, Michael Chiesa lost by submission to “The MoTown Phenom” Kevin Lee. The unfortunate thing is that, while Lee’s rear-naked choke was deep, Chiesa never actually tapped out or lost consciousness. Instead, referee Mario Yamasaki misread the situation, and stopped the fight early. Unsurprisngly, this is not the result Chiesa was hoping for. As such, the top-10 UFC lightweight is keen on a rematch with Lee as soon as possible. He made his case on the Fox Sports 1 post-fight show.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2017

Earlier this month, the UFC flew the headliners and co-headliners of all its upcoming shows out to Dallas for a massive, summer kick-off press conference. As is so often the case when too many top fighters are brought together in one small room, drama ensued. Of all the drama that occurred on the stage that day, none was quiet as fiery as the blowout between UFC Oklahoma City headliners Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee. This drama occurred when Kevin Lee pointed out that Michael Chiesa’s mother will be watching when they fight in Oklahoma City. This did not go over well with Chiesa, who threatened Lee, warning him not to speak about his mother. When Lee brushed this threat off, Chiesa stood up, prompting Lee to do the same. The two then stormed to the middle of the stage, where Lee clocked Chiesa with a pretty nice punch.

Russell Ess - May 16, 2017

Do not talk about Michael Chiesa’s mother. With Kevin Lee just mentioning Chiesa’s mother at the UFC Summer Kickoff Press Conference, it hit an immediate nerve in Chiesa, who instructed to Lee to never talk about his mother. Things turned physical when Chiesa rushed over to Lee and was held back by security while Lee slipped under the security’s radar and hit him with a punch.

Scott Hernandez - May 13, 2017

Friday afternoon at the UFC Summer Kickoff press conference, UFC lightweights Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa were involved in a rather heated argument that led to a scuffle taking place between the two men. While security guards were quick to restrain Chiesa, Lee managed to land a clean right hand before security guards restrained him. Ultimately, both man left the Q&A portion of the press conference before returning to the stage at the commencement to have their staredown. Following the incident, which may or may not see the two men punished, Michael Chiesa took to social media to release a statement on the matter, saying:

Scott Hernandez - May 12, 2017

@dc_mma said this Real Nigga shit 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/sHnp4DApaN — Kevin Lee (@MoTownPhenom) May 12, 2017

Scott Hernandez - March 15, 2017

Recently, UFC lightweights Michael Chiesa and Tony Ferguson have gone toe to toe in various interviews as ‘The Maverick’ and ‘El Cucuy’ have continued to trade barbs back and forth following Chiesa’s callout of the top ranked lightweight contender. Following Chiesa’s callout of Ferguson for an interim lightweight title fight, Ferguson shut down the idea, explaining that fight with Chiesa wasn’t appealing to him, and that he would prefer to fight Nate Diaz.

Scott Hernandez - March 15, 2017

‘The Ultimate Fighter: Live’ winner Michael Chiesa has proven to be one of the most consistent lightweights in the UFC today. With a UFC record of 7-2, with one of his losses coming by way of doctor stoppage due to a cut on his eyebrow, Chiesa has found himself at #7 on the UFC’s official lightweight rankings. With only a handful of fighters above him, Chiesa is looking to leverage his impressive 3-fight win streak into an interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson, who recently found himself without an opponent when Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced out of their UFC 209 scrap the morning of weigh-ins.

Tom Taylor - March 10, 2017

Earlier this year, The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner and current lightweight contender Michael Chiesa made headlines by claiming that he could defeat UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor. “Conor is good, but I really don’t think he’s a true lightweight,” Chiesa told ESPN back in January. “That’s what I’m saying. With the landscape of this division, I don’t see Conor ending his year as champion. And you put me in there, I’m going to drag him to the ground and beat him too. I’m a huge lightweight. I’m as big as Nate (Diaz) or bigger, and we saw how many problems Nate gave him.

Tom Taylor - March 9, 2017

Seventh-ranked UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa has spent the last few weeks calling for a fight with former champion Eddie Alvarez. Unfortunately, Alvarez “dodged” a fight with Chiesa, and instead signed on for a fight with fellow lightweight talent Dustin Poirier. With this desired Alvarez fight off the table, Chiesa now has his sights set on an even bigger fight. The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner is hoping for a bout with Tony Ferguson.

Scott Hernandez - March 8, 2017

BJPENN.COM Radio returns tonight at 8PM ET/5PM PT with another full lineup of great guests! 8:10PM ET- Kicking things off tonight, Mark Godbeer – @MarkGodbeerUK joins us to recap his victory against Daniel Spitz at UFC 209 over the weekend. Mark gives us a critique of his performance, his thoughts on a second potential booking against Todd Duffee, and recounts the circumstances that led to his retirement and eventual return to action.

Tom Taylor - March 7, 2017

Having been knocked out by Conor McGregor in November, Eddie Alvarez is no longer the UFC lightweight champion. That said, he still seems to have a target on his back, as he’s been called out by several top lightweights over the last few weeks. One of these lightweights has been Dustin Poirier, who recently defeated Jim Miller in a three-round thriller. Another is The Ultimate Fighter winner and number-eight ranked lightweight Michael Chiesa.

Tom Taylor - February 28, 2017

With plenty of judging controversy and a definite lack of finishes, UFC 208 went down as a pretty forgettable card. The card did, however, produce one memorable moment in a thrilling, back-and-forth battle between talented lightweights Dustin Poirier and Jim Miller. Despite sustaining a leg injury in the third round, Poirier ultimately won this action-packed fight by majority decision. With this win, the Louisiana native rebounded from a tough, knockout loss to lightweight contender Michael Johnson, and reaffirmed himself as one of the division’s gamest competitors.

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2017

Michael Chiesa is currently regarded as one of the best lightweights on the planet. Unfortunately, he’s been sidelined for almost a year with a back injury.  

Tom Taylor - January 17, 2017

When lightweight champion Conor McGregor returns from his current hiatus from competition, it will likely be to a fight with the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson’s upcoming interim title fight. If the Irish champion passes this mammoth test, however, it’s difficult to say who will be next for him. Michael Chiesa, who is one of the frontrunners in the lightweight division, could well find himself in the cage with McGregor in the near future. Were this to happen, The Ultimate Fighter winner is confident he’d win for one reason in particular. At 6’1, he’s just a much bigger fighter than McGregor.

Tom Taylor - December 18, 2016

Shortly after he spoiled the MMA debut of pro wrestling star CM Punk earlier this year, Mickey Gall took the opportunity to call out fellow prospect Sage Northcutt. Not long after this callout was issued, it was announced that Gall would get his wish, as he and Northcutt were pencilled in as the co-main event of UFC on Fox 22. On Saturday night, after months of trash talk, Gall and Northcutt’s UFC on Fox 22 showdown finally occurred. Though Northcutt entered the fight with 3 times the professional experience of his foe, he wound up being submitted in the second round, when Gall was able to lock up a rear-naked choke for the win.