Michael Chiesa
Maverick
USA
Wins battle of grizzled veterans
Chiesa defeated Court McGee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
Chiesa struggles in anything other than a grinding mat battle at this stage of his career, but he managed to get his striking going a bit against a 40-year-old opponent in McGee. In fact, Chiesa's 72 significant strikes landed this evening were his most in 21 UFC bouts. None of them damaged Court in the least, but given the fact he absorbed no damage at all, Mike was able to win an easy decision. Set to turn 38 years of age in December, Chiesa has won three in a row dating back to August 2024. That said, it's mostly smoke and mirrors. The winning ways aren't going to continue unless the company continues to remain cautious regarding the level of competition it matches him up against moving forward.
Chiesa struggles in anything other than a grinding mat battle at this stage of his career, but he managed to get his striking going a bit against a 40-year-old opponent in McGee. In fact, Chiesa's 72 significant strikes landed this evening were his most in 21 UFC bouts. None of them damaged Court in the least, but given the fact he absorbed no damage at all, Mike was able to win an easy decision. Set to turn 38 years of age in December, Chiesa has won three in a row dating back to August 2024. That said, it's mostly smoke and mirrors. The winning ways aren't going to continue unless the company continues to remain cautious regarding the level of competition it matches him up against moving forward.
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Next opponent scheduled
Chiesa will fight Court McGee in a welterweight fight at UFC Atlanta on June 14, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Chiesa is coming off a victory over Max Griffin via submission back during UFC 10 in Las Vegas. Maverick will now face a new opponent in Court McGee, who is also coming off victory. Michael will look to improve on his 20-7-0 record .
Chiesa is coming off a victory over Max Griffin via submission back during UFC 10 in Las Vegas. Maverick will now face a new opponent in Court McGee, who is also coming off victory. Michael will look to improve on his 20-7-0 record .
Vintage performance in win
Chiesa defeated Max Griffin via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:56 of Round 3 at UFC 310 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It was a vintage performance from Chiesa in his first victory since January 2021 over someone other than Tony Ferguson. He got to his grappling game early, limiting Griffin's chances of getting going offensively. All told, Chiesa landed just 2-of-8 takedown attempts for 3:48 worth of control time, but it felt like more than that. Without a knockout victory in his is long pro career, Chiesa is always going to be at a disadvantage on the feet, so it's imperative he close the distance and now allow his opponent any space. Finding a second wind on the heels of back-to-back victories, Chiesa, a Spokane native, feels like natural fight for the Fight Night card in Seattle scheduled for early-2025.
It was a vintage performance from Chiesa in his first victory since January 2021 over someone other than Tony Ferguson. He got to his grappling game early, limiting Griffin's chances of getting going offensively. All told, Chiesa landed just 2-of-8 takedown attempts for 3:48 worth of control time, but it felt like more than that. Without a knockout victory in his is long pro career, Chiesa is always going to be at a disadvantage on the feet, so it's imperative he close the distance and now allow his opponent any space. Finding a second wind on the heels of back-to-back victories, Chiesa, a Spokane native, feels like natural fight for the Fight Night card in Seattle scheduled for early-2025.
Another fight scheduled
Chiesa is scheduled to compete against fellow welterweight Max Griffin at UFC 310 in Paradise on Dec. 7, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Chiesa defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3, the former's first win since 2021. He will look to build off his newly-found momentum and establish a winning streak by defeating Griffin, who is 2-2 with back-and-forth decisions across his last four fights.
Chiesa defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3, the former's first win since 2021. He will look to build off his newly-found momentum and establish a winning streak by defeating Griffin, who is 2-2 with back-and-forth decisions across his last four fights.
First win since January 2021
Chiesa defeated Tony Ferguson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:44 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
The UFC gave Chiesa a complete and total layup here to get back in the win column, and to his credit, he took full advantage. The two men stood around for the first few minutes, at which point Chiesa finally went for a takedown, and Ferguson found himself tapping out just moments later. Given that Tony entered having lost seven in a row, the wins tells us nothing regarding Chiesa. Mike, now 36 years old, entered having lost three in a row and without a victory dating back to January 2021. Chiesa is almost certainly to find himself a underdog his next time out. There's little reason to believe he's gotten back on track despite this effort.
The UFC gave Chiesa a complete and total layup here to get back in the win column, and to his credit, he took full advantage. The two men stood around for the first few minutes, at which point Chiesa finally went for a takedown, and Ferguson found himself tapping out just moments later. Given that Tony entered having lost seven in a row, the wins tells us nothing regarding Chiesa. Mike, now 36 years old, entered having lost three in a row and without a victory dating back to January 2021. Chiesa is almost certainly to find himself a underdog his next time out. There's little reason to believe he's gotten back on track despite this effort.
Scheduled against legend
Chiesa is scheduled to compete against Tony Ferguson in a welterweight fight at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3, per Dana White's announcement Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
To snap his losing streak at three, Chiesa will take on one of the UFC's most established veterans, a former interim lightweight champion best known for his 12-fight win streak in the promotion. With that being said, Chiesa's next opponent is also on a brutal seven-fight losing streak and moving up a weight class from his usual division.
To snap his losing streak at three, Chiesa will take on one of the UFC's most established veterans, a former interim lightweight champion best known for his 12-fight win streak in the promotion. With that being said, Chiesa's next opponent is also on a brutal seven-fight losing streak and moving up a weight class from his usual division.