Former Ultimate Fighter winner Michael Chiesa kept his winning ways up earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 7, 2024) at UFC 310 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, stopping fellow welterweight mainstay Max Griffin with a dominant third-round submission (rear-naked choke).
Chiesa came into this fight as a slight betting favorite since he possessed the stronger UFC resume. Griffin has proven to be one of the toughest outs in the 170-pound division and actually came into Saturday night without a submission loss. It was up to Chiesa to spoil that streak and implement his patented grappling from the opening bell.
While Griffin did well in the early going to defend any fight-ending submission attempts and return to his feet when Chiesa brought the action to the canvas, he didn’t do enough overall to thwart Chiesa’s advancements. This led to another takedown in the third round that allowed “Maverick” to work his way towards the rear-naked choke and become the first fighter to submit “Pain.”
Check out the video highlights below:
A submission win for Michael Chiesa on his birthday #UFC310 | LIVE NOW | ESPN+ https://t.co/XX1YuUOYuv pic.twitter.com/X8VW0lqhfH
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 8, 2024
Chiesa, who turned 37 on Saturday, was riding a three-fight losing streak coming into 2024. The streak had knocked the former top 10 contender out of the welterweight rankings and put his back against the wall. Chiesa would return to the win column with a submission victory over Tony Ferguson this past August and has now followed that up with a stoppage over Griffin. It’s safe to say “Maverick” has earned another shot at the top 15 as he empties the career gas tank heading into the new year.
For complete UFC 310 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.