Michael Chiesa isn’t happy about the idea of Colby Covington getting an underserved title rematch.
Michael Chiesa will face Vicente Luque at UFC 265 this August, in a bout between two welterweight contenders on impressive win streaks. The winner would have a great case for title contention, along with Leon Edwards, who is unbeaten in his last ten fights, but will they all get passed over?
Chiesa doesn’t seem happy about the idea that Dana White possibly gifting Colby Covington a title rematch, despite being inactive and only fighting once since being knocked out by Kamaru Usman in 2019.
“I think whoever wins between me and Luque should be next,” Chiesa said on Michael Bisping’s podcast. “I don’t even want to say the guy’s name, because you know who’s name I’m going to say next. I don’t this f—king guy should be able to win one fight in a year and sit on the sidelines.
“What’s more important in the sport? Winning fights and backing up a win streak, or just being a guy that just — think about the things that he says. He’s just out here offending people’s families, offending people’s religions. He’s just sitting on the sidelines making himself look like an a—hole. And not to mention, he didn’t even draw that many numbers! He thinks he’s this huge pay-per-view draw. F—k Colby Covington!”
Chiesa makes a pretty solid case, arguing how Covington already badly lost his shot at the title, and doesn’t draw enough to justify skipping over more worthy challengers on winning streaks.
“I think he’s a fierce competitor, but I just think he’s a s—t human being,” Chiesa said. “I think guys like me and Luque, and Leon Edwards, these guys that are actively fighting and striving to become number one contender, we should be rewarded with the opportunity to fight the champion.
“It shouldn’t be the guy that lost, won one fight, and just sits on the sidelines. That’s not enough,” Chiesa argued. “If that was the case, Luque should fight next, because he put Woodley out in a round, and it took you five!”
Chiesa is unbeaten since moving up to welterweight, and has won four in a row against Carlos Condit, Rafael Dos Anjos, Neil Magny and Diego Sanchez. Luque, on the other hand, has won three in a row and nine of his last ten. All but one of those wins came by knockout or submission.
Adding one more win on top of that streak, would surely make the winner climb the rankings even further. Next weekend at UFC 264, there’s also a bout between Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson that has title implications as well.