Tag: Michael Chiesa

Michael Chiesa Offers Advice To Struggling Fighters After Nearly Retiring Before Recent Bounce Back Win

Before his last fight inside the Octagon in August, Michael Chiesa found himself in the worst patch of form of his career. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter has overcome losses in the past and did suffer back-to-back defeats to Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis once before. However, in three consecutive outings, he was […]

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Before his last fight inside the Octagon in August, Michael Chiesa found himself in the worst patch of form of his career. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter has overcome losses in the past and did suffer back-to-back defeats to Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis once before.

However, in three consecutive outings, he was without a win after being submitted by Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland with a decision loss to Sean Brady in between. Chiesa was able to get back in the win column in Abu Dhabi when he submitted Tony Ferguson in the first round.

He’s now set to return at UFC 310 in search of a second win when he faces Max Griffin to keep his momentum pushing forward. In the build up to this fight, the commentator and desk analyst revealed that he seriously contemplated retirement during his losing streak.

If he wasn’t able to compete at the highest level anymore, he would hang up the gloves and look to continue pursuing the avenues that he’s already started to go down in recent years. In an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Chiesa spoke about working with a sport psychologist and what his biggest takeaways from that were.

When asked what advice he would pass on to struggling fighters that may find themselves in a similar position to the one that he was in, he spoke about the importance of having goals but focusing on the present rather than looking too far ahead.

“I think the biggest thing that I would say is focus on being in the present moment. That is something that I struggled with. Looking too far ahead like I’m looking too far ahead at the title or I’m looking too far ahead at the fight and worrying about getting hurt or like just looking too far ahead and not being present. It’s very important to be present in the moment every single day with your training. It’s good to have goals but you don’t have to dwell on the future and what’s yet to come or what you want to happen. You set the goals and then you put them aside and just focus on being in the moment.”

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Michael Chiesa Recalls ‘That Version’ Of Tony Ferguson: ‘I Will Go Out On A Limb & Say I Think He Could Have Beat Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘

At one point in time, Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson was right at the top of every MMA fan’s bucket list for fights they wanted to see. Despite the two men undergoing multiple training camps and fights weeks in preparation for one another, it never did materialize during their careers. With Nurmagomedov retiring in 2020, […]

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Recalls ‘That Version’ Of Tony Ferguson: ‘I Will Go Out On A Limb & Say I Think He Could Have Beat Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘ at MMA News.

At one point in time, Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson was right at the top of every MMA fan’s bucket list for fights they wanted to see.

Despite the two men undergoing multiple training camps and fights weeks in preparation for one another, it never did materialize during their careers.

With Nurmagomedov retiring in 2020, history has been much kinder to him as he walked away from the sport with his undefeated record intact.

Ferguson at his peak was able to match the lightweight winning streak of “The Eagle” but he now finds himself holding the UFC record for the most consecutive losses.

That being said, it can’t be forgotten just how desirable this fight was when both men were beating everyone else at 155 pounds.

Michael Chiesa Says 2016 Tony Ferguson Could Have Beaten Khabib Nurmagomedov

In a recent interview with BJPenn.com, Michael Chiesa spoke about how he prepared to face Ferguson at the recent UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi.

He revealed how rather than watching his opponent’s latest outings, he went back to watching the very best of the former interim lightweight champion in order to make sure that he was training to fight Ferguson at full force.

Chiesa would go on to win the fight via a submission but watching footage on his opponent only made him appreciate the winning run that he went on between 2013-2019, even more.

He said that in one of the biggest “what ifs” in MMA history, he believes that the 2016 version of “El Cucuy” in particular had a strong chance of handing Nurmagomedov his first and only loss if they had met inside the Octagon 8 years ago.

“I will admit like going back and watching some of his recent fights, I wouldn’t say gave me a false sense of security but I was definitely like this isn’t the film to watch, I’m going to go back and watch the film that I was watching to prepare for him in 2016. I watched that Rafael Dos Anjos fight a lot because I feel like that version of Tony Ferguson that we saw in the Octagon against Rafael Dos Anjos, I feel like he could have beat anybody in the world. I mean, I will go out on a limb and say I think that he could have beaten Khabib Nurmagomedov if that was the version of him. I think that was his peak. The peak was RDA and even though he still won fights from there, I still think it started to go down a little bit.”

Read also: Belal Muhammad On Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Ability 4 Years On From Retirement: ‘Could Come Back & Be A Champion In Any Division’

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Recalls ‘That Version’ Of Tony Ferguson: ‘I Will Go Out On A Limb & Say I Think He Could Have Beat Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘ at MMA News.

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire after record UFC loss: ‘I hope he just stops’

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire after record UFC loss: 'I hope he just stops'Off the back of his impressive opening round submission win over former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson – fellow…

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire after record UFC loss: 'I hope he just stops'

Off the back of his impressive opening round submission win over former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson – fellow TUF winner, Michael Chiesa has urged the Oxnard native to finally shut the door on his faltering combat sports career.

Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion and winner of The Ultimate Fighter at the welterweight limit, set an unwanted record earlier this month at UFC Abu Dhabi, suffering an eighth consecutive defeat in a rear-naked choke loss to the above-mentioned, Chiesa.

Tony Ferguson unsure on UFC retirement: 'I don't know anything else I can do'

And with the loss, Tony Ferguson, a one-time record-setting 12-fight winning streaker at the lightweight limit, surpassed former two-division champion, B.J. Penn as the fighter with the longest losing skid in the history of the organization.

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire amid UFC Abu Dhabi loss

Weighing up his fighting future after claiming he had nothing else he could turn his hand to in life if he ended his combat sports career, Ferguson has been urged to nevertheless hang up his gloves once and for all by Chiesa.

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“I hope he (Tony Ferguson) just stops competing,” Michael Chiesa told BJ Penn. “If he wants to scratch that itch and compete, I’m sure there are a lot of Jiu-Jitsu promotions that would pay Tony a lot of money to grapple. I just don’t want to see him take any headshots anymore. That is speaking to a brother that I’m in the same fraternity with. Him and I both won The Ultimate Fighter, I say that with compassion.”

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“You can still make omney and compete in Jiu-Jitsu, I just don’t think it is a financial thing for Tony,” Chiesa explained. “I think he is a fierce competitor, the guy likes to compete, he is very athletic, I just don’t think he should take any shots anymore.”

And amid claims from Ferguson how he would seek booking in another promotion if UFC boss, Dana White decides to prevent him from fighting, Chiesa claims a move to another organization is not a good option either.

“…I’m pretty sure that will be the last time we see him in the UFC,” Chiesa said. “The only way you want to keep him in the UFC is to protect him from the people outside the UFC that are going to try and sign him.”

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire after record UFC loss: ‘I hope he just stops’

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire after record UFC loss: 'I hope he just stops'Off the back of his impressive opening round submission win over former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson – fellow…

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire after record UFC loss: 'I hope he just stops'

Off the back of his impressive opening round submission win over former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson – fellow TUF winner, Michael Chiesa has urged the Oxnard native to finally shut the door on his faltering combat sports career.

Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion and winner of The Ultimate Fighter at the welterweight limit, set an unwanted record earlier this month at UFC Abu Dhabi, suffering an eighth consecutive defeat in a rear-naked choke loss to the above-mentioned, Chiesa.

Tony Ferguson unsure on UFC retirement: 'I don't know anything else I can do'

And with the loss, Tony Ferguson, a one-time record-setting 12-fight winning streaker at the lightweight limit, surpassed former two-division champion, B.J. Penn as the fighter with the longest losing skid in the history of the organization.

Michael Chiesa urges Tony Ferguson to retire amid UFC Abu Dhabi loss

Weighing up his fighting future after claiming he had nothing else he could turn his hand to in life if he ended his combat sports career, Ferguson has been urged to nevertheless hang up his gloves once and for all by Chiesa.

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“I hope he (Tony Ferguson) just stops competing,” Michael Chiesa told BJ Penn. “If he wants to scratch that itch and compete, I’m sure there are a lot of Jiu-Jitsu promotions that would pay Tony a lot of money to grapple. I just don’t want to see him take any headshots anymore. That is speaking to a brother that I’m in the same fraternity with. Him and I both won The Ultimate Fighter, I say that with compassion.”

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“You can still make omney and compete in Jiu-Jitsu, I just don’t think it is a financial thing for Tony,” Chiesa explained. “I think he is a fierce competitor, the guy likes to compete, he is very athletic, I just don’t think he should take any shots anymore.”

And amid claims from Ferguson how he would seek booking in another promotion if UFC boss, Dana White decides to prevent him from fighting, Chiesa claims a move to another organization is not a good option either.

“…I’m pretty sure that will be the last time we see him in the UFC,” Chiesa said. “The only way you want to keep him in the UFC is to protect him from the people outside the UFC that are going to try and sign him.”

‘I want to fight Colby Covington’ – Michael Chiesa calls out idle welterweight for Battle of the Northwest

'I want to fight Colby Covington' - Michael Chiesa calls out idle welterweight for battle of the NorthwestAfter an impressive first-round finish against Tony Ferguson in Abu Dhabi, TUF alumnus Michael Chiesa has the perfect opponent…

'I want to fight Colby Covington' - Michael Chiesa calls out idle welterweight for battle of the Northwest

After an impressive first-round finish against Tony Ferguson in Abu Dhabi, TUF alumnus Michael Chiesa has the perfect opponent in mind for his next appearance.

Chiesa’s appearances inside the Octagon have been few and far between in recent years, but ‘Maverick’ is ready to get right back to work after putting away the former interim lightweight titleholder with relative ease inside Etihad Arena.

Michael Chiesa

During a post-fight interview, Chiesa called for a clash with three-time title challenger Colby Covington to determine who the best wrestler in the Pacific Northwest truly is.

“I want to fight Colby Covington. I’ve been saying this for years,” Chiesa said. “That guy can sit on the sidelines and say whatever he wants. I’m not chasing the ranking. I don’t give a sh*t. I just want to find out who is the best fighter. Who is the best welterweight in the Pacific Northwest? I know he resides in Dade County, Mr. 305, but let’s find out who’s the best in the Northwest. Is it me or is it you?

“That’s what I want to find out. Are you going to idly sit down and do nothing? Or are you going to come back and fight? Keep your ranking, I don’t give a sh*t. I just want to find out who’s the best in the Northwest” (h/t Sherdog).

Michael Chiesa

Colby Covington clings to his No. 4 ranking despite little activity and even fewer wins

Like Chiesa, Covington is 2-3 in his last five, though ‘Chaos’ is barely averaging one fight per year at this point. Still, that hasn’t stopped the staunch MAGA supporter from talking his way into a title opportunity — or three of them. Covington came up short in all three bids, losing to Kamaru Usman twice before getting shut down by Leon Edwards in his last outing.

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Covington appeared to be on a collision course with rising contender Ian Machado Garry after ‘Chaos’ shared some distasteful remarks regarding Garry’s marriage to TV personality Layla Machado Garry. Unfortunately, interest in that fight quickly waned after ‘The Future’ claimed Covington had declined the UFC’s offer to make it happen.

Covington has since denied that the promotion ever offered him the fight.

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Despite his limited activity and zero wins over anyone in the current welterweight top 15, Covington continues to cling to his No. 4 ranking, making him a target for fighters like Garry who is steadily working his way up the ladder.

However, it looks like ‘Chaos’ is more interested in waiting for undeserved title fights or marquee matchups against fighters on an active losing streak.

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Tony Ferguson Still Confident In Striking Ability After 8th UFC Loss In A Row: ‘Not A Lot Of People Want To Stand & Bang With Me’

When it comes to his skillset, former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson hasn’t let his losing skid affect his confidence. Ferguson achieved an unwanted record in his return to action at this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night, falling to the longest run of defeats in the promotion’s history. After closing out his 2023 with […]

Continue Reading Tony Ferguson Still Confident In Striking Ability After 8th UFC Loss In A Row: ‘Not A Lot Of People Want To Stand & Bang With Me’ at MMA News.

When it comes to his skillset, former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson hasn’t let his losing skid affect his confidence.

Ferguson achieved an unwanted record in his return to action at this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night, falling to the longest run of defeats in the promotion’s history. After closing out his 2023 with a decision loss to Paddy Pimblett, his latest setback came against Michael Chiesa up at welterweight.

The bout didn’t reach the first horn, with “El Cucuy” being taken down and submitted by way of rear-naked choke in just under four minutes by Chiesa, who entered the contest on a losing skid of his own.

In the immediate aftermath, it appeared a retirement announcement branded long overdue by many in the community was on the way. But while Ferguson did lay down one glove, it didn’t take long for him to seemingly commit to the continuation of his career.

That’s seemingly down to a belief that he can still compete inside the Octagon, in spite of what his record since 2020 would suggest. And among other things, “El Cucuy” hasn’t lost confidence in his standup game…

Ferguson: Chiesa Didn’t Want Any Of My Striking

During his post-fight press conference on Saturday, Ferguson reflected on his outing in the Middle East and record eighth consecutive defeat inside the Octagon.

While he admitted to feeling “slow and sluggish” in the grappling realm, where his demise ultimately came against Chiesa, Ferguson insisted he remains a major threat on the feet, having returned to sparring and pad work in training.

“There’s a lot of things I need to work on,” Ferguson said. “We did a lot of sparring. You could see that out there; I felt pretty good on my feet. … I felt normal in there for a second. … There’s a lot of things that I can and can’t do. … This whole entire camp, I had just got back into sparring. … We just started throwing pads again.

“When I went out there and I hit Chiesa, he didn’t want to stand and bang. Not a lot of people want to stand and bang with me,” Ferguson added.

It would appear likely that Ferguson plans on further proving that in another fight down the line. While he noted discussions will take place with his family, “El Cucuy” was quick to walk back his initial half-retirement inside the Octagon.

Continue Reading Tony Ferguson Still Confident In Striking Ability After 8th UFC Loss In A Row: ‘Not A Lot Of People Want To Stand & Bang With Me’ at MMA News.