UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa was one of several fighters who were injured during Conor McGregor’s wild bus attack just days before UFC 223. “The Notorious” and his band of goons flew to New York City and showed up at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to confront Khabib Nurmagomedov, but Chiesa got caught in the crossfire.
The cuts to Chiesa’s face were so severe that he was pulled from his fight against former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, a win over whom would have placed him right at the top of the division. Chiesa vented on Thursday about the opportunities that McGregor’s antics cost him:
“I don’t really got a lot to say to the guy. I lost a title shot. I have proof. I was the highest-ranked guy on the card. I would have stepped in to fight Khabib at the drop of a dime. I’ve always loved the fight with Khabib. Bless his heart, he’s a cool ass guy. But this is a sport and I’ve always liked the way I matched up against him and I got f*cked out of that opportunity. I don’t really have too many kind things to say to [McGregor]. You work your whole life for those kinds of opportunities. Do I want mine on short order? No, I’d love a training camp. Like I said, if they walk in the door now and say, ‘Hey, do you want to fight for the title in the next 10 minutes?’ I’m out the door, I’m warming up, I’m ready to go.
“To lose the opportunity, that’s tough. You know how this sport works, guys. Opportunities like that don’t come along. I could strike along 15 wins in a row and still not get a title shot and I lost my opportunity and my dream. I hope that I’m gonna fight my ass off to earn it back starting on July 7 against Anthony Pettis. But yeah, tough pill to swallow.”
McGregor was arrested shortly thereafter and was charged with assault. The Irishman has been coming back and forth from court ever since.
Meanwhile, Chiesa will get his chance to take on a former champ in Pettis once again at UFC 226 in July.
Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane fights Alejandra Lara tomorrow night for Bellator’s world flyweight championship. The headliners decided to make…
Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane fights Alejandra Lara tomorrow night for Bellator’s world flyweight championship. The headliners decided to make things fun at the weigh-ins today, dressing in costume. Macfarlane and her coach cosplayed as Lilo and Stitch, and well… just look.
A full breakdown of Bellator 201 can be found here, and you can follow the results and live play-by-play here
Insomnia
Congratulations to Donald Cerrone and Lindsay on the birth of their son, whose middle name might legally be “Danger” based on this post.
Mike Perry vs. Paul Felder is going to be a very violent fight. Felder has some balls on him to step up against one of the biggest hitters in the division above his.
It looks like the UFC has shrunk their core fan base in some meaningful ways since 2006.
Preliminary econometric evidence on what some journalists have written about, #UFC‘s core consumer base seems to have declined over time. Translation: UFC has to give customers fights they’re interested in paying for or they’re more likely to do something else. pic.twitter.com/c0qC7mu6fT
This was a funny headline. Conor McGregor isn’t running out of money, but congrats to an opposing manager for saying something that got people’s attention.
Bellator 201 ‘Macfarlane vs Lara’ takes place June 29, 2018 at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. MMA Mania brings you a preview and predictions for a main event where Ilima-Lei Macfarlane puts her title on the line against Ale…
Bellator 201 ‘Macfarlane vs Lara’ takes place June 29, 2018 at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. MMA Mania brings you a preview and predictions for a main event where Ilima-Lei Macfarlane puts her title on the line against Alejandra Lara!
Bellator 201: “Macfarlane vs. Lara” takes place tomorrow night (Fri., June 29, 2018) at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. The women’s Flyweight division is in the spotlight as the world champion will take on a fresh newcomer to the division coming off a big upset win, while the co-main event will feature a former No. 1 contender in UFC looking to get a step closer to a title shot.
Let’s break it down:
125 lbs.: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (7-0) vs. Alejandra Lara (7-1)
There’s no question that Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is the submission master of Bellator’s female fighters, and perhaps one of the best in the promotion regardless of gender. Four of her six Bellator fights have ended with a submission, and only two of them have gone the distance. If you weren’t already familiar with 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu before she started her run you may finally understand why Eddie Bravo is so highly regarded in the world of MMA. His style may not be for everyone but you can’t argue it doesn’t work for Macfarlane, and her submission of Rebecca Ruth is still one of the nastiest rear naked chokes I have ever seen in the sport.
It’s a tall order for Alejandra Lara to face a fighter this prominent and dominant, but she got off to a good start by scoring a big upset win over Lena Ovchynnikova in her debut Bellator fight. This immediately put the Colombian on the map. Her record highlights a problem for Macfarlane in that three of her seven wins are by knockout and three are by submission. Macfarlane’s stand-up game is ever improving but you can’t exactly call it something that she’s well known for. If Lara can stuff takedowns and keep this fight on the feet it could be a very long night for “The Ilimanator.”
Macfarlane is also giving up size in this fight as she stands 5’4” while her opponent is 5’7”. I’m not sure that actually plays to Lara’s strengths though as she might have to reach down to strike at range, at which point Macfarlane can step to the side for a leg trip or a throw. Shorter fighters often take down taller fighters with impunity — long legs give you more to grab onto. Lara will have to do something different than all of Macfarlane’s other opponents to date, because it’s not like she hasn’t faced many taller opponents already. Lara has a flashy style and a fun personality which made her an ideal pick for this title defense. Macfarlane can find a finish late though and I suspect she will again.
Final prediction: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane via fourth round rear naked choke
125 lbs.: Valerie Letourneau (9-6) vs. Kristina Williams (2-0)
The other half of our featured Flyweight fights this evening pits former UFC fighter Valerie Letourneau against Kristina Williams. While Letourneau may be best remembered for going five rounds with Joanna Champion, she never felt comfortable at 115 and proved that by putting on a striking clinic in her Bellator debut at 125. Williams established herself quickly in Bellator despite her relative depth of experience with wins over Heather Hardy and most recently Emily Ducote. At 5’8” she has both size and power against Letourneau, and she prefers to fight like a kickboxer with her hands and feet at range. Letourneau has fought higher level opponents though and each fight is a stepping stone back to another title shot.
Final prediction: Valerie Letourneau wins via split decision
160 lbs.: Saad Awad (22-9) vs. Ryan Couture (11-5)
Saad Awad could probably have a memorial plaque for his consistency in Bellator’s Lightweight division if he ever decides to retire — he’d at least be in the running along with Patricky Freire and David Rickels anyway. This is his 17th fight in the division and although he’s just above .500 at 10-6 he’s gotten some big wins along the way including “Ill” Will Brooks and Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (at 170). Couture has had much more trouble getting that signature Bellator win and he’s a far less impressive 3-2 overall. His best win may have been a controversial split decision over K.J. Noons and that was five years ago. Couture needs this one badly to stay relevant while Awad needs this one to finally get over the hump as a contender with four straight wins. Awad is a power striker at 5’11”, 73.5” reach and nine knockouts. Couture only has one KO and stands 5’10” but has a longer 76” reach. Couture’s biggest strength is his takedowns but Awad is known to stuff wrestlers and make them pay standing with big shots.
Final prediction: Saad Awad wins via third round knockout
145 lbs.: Juan Archuleta (18-1) vs. Robbie Peralta (19-8, 1 NC)
A few years ago I spoke to Robbie Peralta as he prepared for a return to the bright lights after unceremoniously being cut from UFC following a loss to Clay Guida. Unfortunately he lost his next fight against Sheymon Moraes as well, and in fact he kept on losing until a battle with Shad Smith last September — giving him precisely one win in his last five bouts. “The Spaniard” Juan Archuleta on the other hand has won 13 straight, earning a finish in just about 50% of those fights — an average which has held up over his career (eight knockouts, one submission, nine decisions). It’s hard to say whether or not Peralta peaked in UFC and has been on the decline ever since, but this may be his last best chance to prove otherwise. Archuleta on the other hand only has one Bellator fight to his name but if he continues to extend his streak he’ll be knocking on Patricio Freire’s door soon enough.
Final prediction: Juan Archuleta by unanimous decision
That’s a wrap!
MMAmania.com will deliver coverage of Bellator 201 tomorrow with Paramount Network fights starting at 9 p.m. ET. To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.
Michael Chiesa still holds a grudge against Conor McGregor, stemming from the latter’s bus attack at UFC 223 last April. Conor McGregor’s UFC 223 bus attack led to hefty repercussions, to say the least. Among those who got the raw end of …
Michael Chiesa still holds a grudge against Conor McGregor, stemming from the latter’s bus attack at UFC 223 last April.
Conor McGregor’s UFC 223 bus attack led to hefty repercussions, to say the least. Among those who got the raw end of the deal was lightweight contender Michael Chiesa, who was injured and forced out of his scheduled bout on the said card against Anthony Pettis.
The card itself almost fell apart on fight week, after Tony Ferguson pulled out due to injury. This has led to the UFC to scour through its line of contenders, wherein they ended up with Al Iaquinta to face Khabib Nurmagomedov.
But according to Chiesa, he would have been able to step up to fight for the title that night, if not for the injury that McGregor had caused him.
“I lost a title shot. I have proof. I was the highest-ranked guy on the card,” Chiesa said during the UFC 226 media day on Thursday (via MMA Fighting). “I would have stepped in to fight Khabib at the drop of a dime. I’ve always loved the fight with Khabib. Bless his heart, he’s a cool ass guy. But this is a sport and I’ve always liked the way I matched up against him and I got f—ked out of that opportunity.”
“I don’t really have too many kind things to say to [McGregor]. You work your whole life for those kinds of opportunities. Do I want mine on short order? No, I’d love a training camp. Like I said, if they walk in the door now and say, ‘Hey, do you want to fight for the title in the next 10 minutes?’ I’m out the door, I’m warming up, I’m ready to go.”
Chiesa does recognize the lost opportunity, but he now chooses to move past it and instead work his way back up. It is what he plans to do once he finally faces Pettis at UFC 226.
“To lose the opportunity, that’s tough. You know how this sport works, guys,” Chiesa said. “Opportunities like that don’t come along. I could string along 15 wins in a row and still not get a title shot and I lost my opportunity and my dream. I hope that I’m gonna fight my ass off to earn it back starting on July 7 against Anthony Pettis. But yeah, tough pill to swallow.”
Fighters like Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Rose Namajunas claimed that McGregor reached out to them to offer some form of apology. Chiesa has not gotten his, and it’s something he chooses not to lose sleep over.
“No, I haven’t heard from him. So, f–k him.”
UFC 226 takes place in a little over a week’s time on July 7th in Las Vegas. It will be headlined by the heavyweight super-fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier, and co-headlined by another title fight between featherweight champion Max Holloway and Brian Ortega.
Michael Chiesa doesn’t have many nice things to say about Conor McGregor. Two days before UFC 223 back in April, a media day session was held in the lobby of the Barclays Center. The festivities took place without incident. It was after the sessi…
Michael Chiesa doesn’t have many nice things to say about Conor McGregor. Two days before UFC 223 back in April, a media day session was held in the lobby of the Barclays Center. The festivities took place without incident. It was after the session had wrapped up when the chaos began. McGregor and his entourage […]
Zane Simon, Victor Rodriguez, & Eddie Mercado return to break down this week’s Bellator card in Temecula, CA. With picks and odds for the main card. The UFC may be off this week, but Bellator still has a card to put on. It’s just too b…
Zane Simon, Victor Rodriguez, & Eddie Mercado return to break down this week’s Bellator card in Temecula, CA. With picks and odds for the main card.
The UFC may be off this week, but Bellator still has a card to put on. It’s just too bad it’s so… miss-able. The main event is a decently interesting flyweight title fight between champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and challenger Alejandra Lara, but the rest of the main card is really hard to care about. Most of the interest is for the early prelims, which feature college wrestling standouts Ed Ruth, Joey Davis, and Tyrell Fortune.
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Here’s a look at the Bellator 201: Macfarlane vs. Lara fight card, which takes place at 9 pm Eastern & Pacific on the Paramount Network.
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