Michael Chiesa Eying Rematch With ‘Dork’ Kevin Lee

Now that both men are at 170 pounds, Michael Chiesa is eying a rematch with former foe Kevin Lee. The pair initially met back in the summer of 2017, where Lee submitted Chiesa in the first round. However, the finish was a controversial one, as Chiesa never went out or tapped to Lee’s rear-naked choke. […]

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Now that both men are at 170 pounds, Michael Chiesa is eying a rematch with former foe Kevin Lee.

The pair initially met back in the summer of 2017, where Lee submitted Chiesa in the first round. However, the finish was a controversial one, as Chiesa never went out or tapped to Lee’s rear-naked choke. Since, both men have jumped up from lightweight, and now compete at 170 pounds.

Chiesa had a successful debut at welterweight this past December at UFC 232, submitting Carlos Condit. As for Lee, he has been struggling as of late, with two-straight defeats inside the Octagon. He debuted at 170 pounds with a submission loss to Rafael dos Anjos in May.

Speaking to MMA Frost Radio, Chiesa expressed his desire to rematch Lee at their new weight class (via MMA News):

“Let’s run it back. We talked about it. I told him, ‘If you beat me fair and square, that’s fine. I can live with that.’ That’s the nature of the beast. This is a sport. But there was some uncostly intervention for him, but it was costly for me. And, yeah, I definitely want to run it back.”

At 31-years-old, Chiesa would rather run it back with “The Motown Phenom” now rather than later, as he doesn’t want to get caught by the 26-year-old Lee at the tail end of his career:

“I’d rather do it sooner than later, because I’m a lot older than he is,” Chiesa said. “So I don’t want him catching me when I’m in the twilight years of my career and he’s getting into his physical prime.

“When you’re getting into your early 30s, that’s when you’re in your prime. So I’d rather fight Kevin sooner than later. But I can see the fight happening. It’s just all about timing and trajectory.”

There was a ton of bad-blood between Lee and Chiesa heading into their first fight. However, “Maverick” maintains he respects every man who steps into the Octagon against him, even if Lee is a “dork”:

“I respect every guy I fight. Do I think (Kevin Lee) is a dork? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a good fighter. So if the timing’s right, let’s run it back, main event, but no Yamasaki. That guy will never be remotely close to any of my fights ever again.”

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Michael Chiesa Still Wants Rematch With Kevin Lee

Michael Chiesa’s first ever UFC main event did not go as he wanted it to, and almost two years to the day, Chiesa still would like to run it back with Kevin Lee. Kevin Lee defeated Michael Chiesa in the main event of UFC Fight Night 112, but it was not…

Michael Chiesa’s first ever UFC main event did not go as he wanted it to, and almost two years to the day, Chiesa still would like to run it back with Kevin Lee. Kevin Lee defeated Michael Chiesa in the main event of UFC Fight Night 112, but it was not without controversy. Kevin Lee’s […]

The post Michael Chiesa Still Wants Rematch With Kevin Lee appeared first on MMA News.

Diego Sanchez vs. Michael Chiesa Verbally Agreed for UFC 239

Jackson Wink MMA has another warrior headed to battle at UFC 239 in Las Vegas Nevada this July when Diego Sanchez makes the trip to face Michael Chiesa. ESPN has reported that the fight has been verbally agreed upon for the July 6th event. UFC veteran …

Jackson Wink MMA has another warrior headed to battle at UFC 239 in Las Vegas Nevada this July when Diego Sanchez makes the trip to face Michael Chiesa. ESPN has reported that the fight has been verbally agreed upon for the July 6th event. UFC veteran Diego Sanchez has won two of his last three […]

The post Diego Sanchez vs. Michael Chiesa Verbally Agreed for UFC 239 appeared first on MMA News.

Rumor: Michael Chiesa Vs. Diego Sanchez In The Works For UFC 239

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is looking to book Michael Chiesa vs. Diego Sanchez for UFC 239 on July 6. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was the first to break the news via a tweet. He points out the fight is not a done deal yet. However, it is the direction the promotion wants to go. UFC wants […]

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is looking to book Michael Chiesa vs. Diego Sanchez for UFC 239 on July 6.

ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was the first to break the news via a tweet. He points out the fight is not a done deal yet. However, it is the direction the promotion wants to go.

Chiesa made a successful welterweight debut at UFC 232 when he submitted Carlos Condit in the second round. He will try to stay unbeaten at 170 pounds.

As for Sanchez. The veteran finds himself on a two-fight winning streak after dropping a couple of fights. A win over Chiesa would be a feather in the HOF cap of Sanchez.

UFC 239 takes place July 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jon Jones will defend his light heavyweight title against Thiago Santos in the evening’s main event.

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Michael Chiesa Believes Path To Welterweight Title Is More Clear Than Lightweight

Michael Chiesa believes the path to the welterweight title is much more clear than at 155 pounds. Chiesa is a former lightweight competitor in the UFC who recently decided to make the move up to 170. He defeated Carlos Condit in the second round of his…

Michael Chiesa believes the path to the welterweight title is much more clear than at 155 pounds. Chiesa is a former lightweight competitor in the UFC who recently decided to make the move up to 170. He defeated Carlos Condit in the second round of his division debut in December. Speaking as a guest fighter […]

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Michael Chiesa Shoots Down Demian Maia’s Callout

Following his submission victory over Lyman Good at UFC Fortaleza, Demian Maia issued out an interesting callout. The Brazilian said he’d like to step into the Octagon against fellow grappler Michael Chiesa next. It certainly sounds like an interesting match-up on paper, as both men are phenomenal grapplers. Maia said the match-up came to mind […]

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Following his submission victory over Lyman Good at UFC Fortaleza, Demian Maia issued out an interesting callout.

The Brazilian said he’d like to step into the Octagon against fellow grappler Michael Chiesa next. It certainly sounds like an interesting match-up on paper, as both men are phenomenal grapplers. Maia said the match-up came to mind after several fans bombarded his social media page after seeing Chiesa’s submission victory over Carlos Condit in December.

However, Chiesa doesn’t think that fight is a possability. Speaking to Submission Radio recently, Chiesa responded to Maia’s call out. He said that he doesn’t think the bout will match-up with his desired schedule. Maia mentinoed wanting to return to the Octagon in May to fight in front of his native crowd in Curitiba, Brazil. Those plans don’t work for “Maverick”:

“That’s cool, it’s flattering coming from Demian, I just don’t think I fit in his timeline,” Chiesa said. “I don’t see May in Curitiba fitting into my schedule.

“We already got an opponent in mind, I can’t really say too much, but I think UFC is really looking to go a different direction with me and this certain guy. Thank you, Demian, I’m a big fan of the guy, but I just don’t see it in the foreseeable future.”

Chiesa made a successful welterweight debut at UFC 232 in December. He locked in a kimura on former interim 170-pound champion Carlos Condit for the victory. Now back in the win column after making the jump to 170 pounds, Chiesa’s career will certainly be interesting to watch progress after leaving the talent-stacked lightweight division.

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