Michael Chiesa: Conor McGregor Cost Me A Potential Title Shot

Chiesa says McGregor’s antics days before UFC 223 cost him a potential title shot…

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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.

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Michael Chiesa: Conor McGregor Cost me UFC Title Shot

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 […]

The post Michael Chiesa: Conor McGregor Cost me UFC Title Shot appeared first on MMA News.

Michael Chiesa Disagrees With Decision to Remove Early Weigh-ins

Michael Chiesa is speaking out against the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) plan to remove early weigh-ins. UFC president Dana White announced the change last week. White claimed that more fighters were making weight prior to the early morn…

Michael Chiesa is speaking out against the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) plan to remove early weigh-ins. UFC president Dana White announced the change last week. White claimed that more fighters were making weight prior to the early morning weigh-ins. He also said most fighters preferred weigh-ins to go back to its old regime. Many have […]

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Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners

Find out where your favorite The Ultimate Fighter winners are now:

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With the UFC having now secured a new broadcasting deal with ESPN from 2019 onwards, Dana White recently admitted that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show may finally be on its way out after a 27season series run.

As such, now seems like a good time to take a look back at what has become of every single one of the long-running show’s 35 ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winners to date.

Find out what your favorite past winners of TUF are up to now:

SEASON 1

Diego Sanchez

It’s a testament to Diego Sanchez’s durability that 13 years after winning TUF season 1 he remains the only fighter from that historic series to still be actively competing in the UFC, having amassed 27 fights (16-11) to date.

However, after suffering back-to-back first-round knockouts in his last two fights, it’s possible that the 36-year-old’s memorable career is now entering its final stages, though Sanchez has assured his fans that, “I’m not done yet.”


Forrest Griffin

Arguably TUF’s most iconic winner, Griffin’s fight with Stephan Bonner in the Season 1 finale was declared as the most important fight in UFC history by Dana White, while he’d also go on to win the light-heavyweight title too.

Griffin retired in 2013 at the age of 33 due to chronic injuries, but he’s since been inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame and now works for the UFC as their Vice President of Athletic Development.

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Michael Chiesa Views Tony Ferguson as Real Lightweight Champion

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the real lightweight champion in the eyes of Michael Chiesa. Back in April, Nurmagomedov took on Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC 223. The event took place inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. “The Eagle&#822…

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the real lightweight champion in the eyes of Michael Chiesa. Back in April, Nurmagomedov took on Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC 223. The event took place inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. “The Eagle” was set to take on Tony Ferguson, but he went down with an […]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Issues Stern Callout To Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t playing with Conor McGregor:

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Conor McGregor lit the mixed martial arts world ablaze on April 5 when he stormed the Barclays Center and threw a metal handcart through a bus containing top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Injuring two fighters to the point they could no longer compete at April 7’s UFC 223, ‘The Notorious’ was arrested on assault charges and will next appear before a judge on June 14, and ‘The Eagle’ survived to beat short-notice replacement Al Iaquinta to win the title McGregor was stripped of that night. The scenario made it seem that a highly-anticipated showdown between McGregor and Khabib was inevitable, but that’s far from certain with the Irishman still on the sidelines awaiting court.

It’s the biggest bout the UFC can book right now, and could arguably be the biggest of all-time. After observing the holy month of Ramadan, ‘The Eagle’ wants to return for his first title defense around November or December. If it’s against McGregor is anyone’s guess, yet it won’t be due to a lack of trying to get the fight signed from Nurmagomedov. The undefeated wrestling machine issued a stern warning to McGregor on his official Instagram account earlier today, claiming that the game has changed since the once-active former champ left:

“When you see him, tell him: Conor the game has changed, now you have to play like a grown up man, there will no longer be locked buses with security inside and outside, now you have to solve these problems alone, and if you do not want it, just say so, everybody will understand.”

A fair warning from ‘The Eagle,’ who has always insisted that if the outspoken trash talker actually wanted to fight him in New York, he would have just gave him a time and a place to meet him rather than attacking a bus he was in that also contained other fighters and security guards.

The bad blood originated when Khabib put his hands on McGregor’s longtime teammate Artem Lobov when he was alone in a hotel that week, supposedly prompting McGregor and his gang of goons to hop on a plane to Brooklyn to start the now-historic attack that he will soon face his punishment for.

All of the chaos could lead to the biggest spectacle we’ve ever seen in the octagon, something that may not be as obvious as it would seem after McGregor’s monstrous payday to box Floyd Mayweather last summer.

If he does finally decide to return, Nurmagomedov will apparently be ready to meet him man to man in the cage.

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