Michael Chiesa

Film Room: 10 Fighters To Watch Tonight At UFC Vegas 43

Tonight, UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate (UFC Vegas 43) takes place from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we’ve got 10 fighters for you to look out for.

The UFC released a video showcasing some of the best finishes in the careers of 10 fight…

Tonight, UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate (UFC Vegas 43) takes place from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we’ve got 10 fighters for you to look out for.

The UFC released a video showcasing some of the best finishes in the careers of 10 fighters competing at UFC Vegas 43. Here are the fighters who made the cut and a note on which of their performances was spotlighted in the video package.

Luana Pinheiro

Kicking off the UFC Vegas 43 lineup will be Luana Pinheiro competing against Sam Hughes in a strawweight bout. Pinheiro is 9-1 with seven consecutive wins. She earned her UFC contract last year with a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series over Stephanie Frausto with a first-round KO that you can peep in the video!

Adrian Yanez

Adrian Yanez also earned his UFC contract last year on Dana White’s Contender Series. The 27-year-old is 14-3 as a professional and is considered one of the best boxers and prospects in the bantamweight division. In his promotional debut, he earned a head kick KO over Victor Rodriguez (pictured above). You can watch the KO in live motion in the video!

Davey Grant

Yanez will be facing England’s own “Dangerous” Davey Grant (11-5). Grant has won three of his last four fights. In one of these victories, Grant scored a KO victory over Jonathan Martinez at UFC Vegas 21 in March. You can relive that KO in the video!

Pat Sabatini

Pat Sabatini (15-3) is 2-0 in the UFC and is currently enjoying a four-fight winning streak. In his most recent bout, Sabatini submitted Jamall Emmers via heel hook, which you can find in the video package. Sabatini’s bout against Tucker Lutz will be the featured preliminary bout tonight.

Sean Brady

28-year-old Sean Brady is one of the brightest prospects in the entire UFC. Brady is 4-0 in the promotion with an unblemished professional record of 14-0. Brady recently told MMA News that he expects to pick up the submission victory over Michael Chiesa tonight. If his prediction comes true, that would make for his third consecutive submission victory. You can catch one of those submissions in the video package.

Ketlen Vieira

One half of the UFC Vegas 43 headliners, Ketlen Vieira, enters tonight’s event as the #7-ranked bantamweight. She holds victories over established names of WMMA Sara McMann and Cat Zingano. Vieira will look to add former UFC champion Miesha Tate to that list by the end of tonight. You can catch Vieira’s submission win over McMann in the video!

#6-ranked Michael Chiesa will have the opportunity to be the first man to defeat Sean Brady in tonight’s co-main event. Chiesa has confessed that he does not see any holes in Brady’s game whatsoever, but he’ll have to find one to be successful tonight. Since making the move to welterweight, Chiesa has gone 4-1 in the division, which includes a one-armed kimura over the legendary Carlos Condit. If you haven’t witnessed this must-see submission yet, you can do so in the video!

Terrance McKinney

Terrance McKinney revealed prior to tonight’s card that Michael Chiesa was a huge motivation for him to enter MMA, being that Chiesa was his high school wrestling coach! The two will be competing on the same card tonight. McKinney will be looking to follow up on his UFC debut, which was over in seven seconds! You can catch the full debut in the video package, but don’t blink!

Rani Yahya

A 10-year veteran of the UFC, Rani Yahya is well known for his submission skills. A mouthdropping 21 of Yahya’s 27 career victories have been submissions. This includes a patient and technically flawless arm-triangle choke over Ray Rodriguez in his most recent bout, which is included in the video package.

Miesha Tate

One of the most respected pioneers of women’s MMA, Miesha Tate is back in the main event tonight as she goes against Ketlen Vieira. Tate is planning for this bout to be the beginning of a historic comeback run that will see her re-capture the UFC bantamweight championship. In the video below, we relive the moment Tate won UFC gold when she submitted Holly Holm in 2016.

Finally, you can check out the video below of some of the best finishes from these UFC Vegas 43 Fighters to Watch!

Continue Reading Film Room: 10 Fighters To Watch Tonight At UFC Vegas 43 at MMA News.

Michael Chiesa: Brady Doesn’t Have A Single Hole In His Game

UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa doesn’t believe his upcoming opponent, surging prospect Sean Brady, has a single hole in his game.

In Chiesa’s third outing of the year, a tally he hasn’t managed since 2013, he’ll be offering a rising cont…

UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa doesn’t believe his upcoming opponent, surging prospect Sean Brady, has a single hole in his game.

In Chiesa’s third outing of the year, a tally he hasn’t managed since 2013, he’ll be offering a rising contender the chance to make a leap up the 170-pound ladder. Brady, who was last in action when he submitted Jake Matthews at UFC 259 in March, has built a 14-0 record and currently sits at #14 in the welterweight division.

While many would shy away from meeting a fighter ranked eight places below them, Chiesa knows he has to beat the up-and-comers in order to maintain his spot in the weight class, especially after suffering a first-round defeat in his last appearance.

At UFC 265 in August, “Maverick” saw his attempts to submit Vicente Luque reversed by the Brazilian, who finished him with a memorable D’Arce choke. Chiesa will look to rebound in style by handing Brady the first blemish on his record at UFC Vegas 43 this Saturday.

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Chiesa Believes Brady Is Good At Everything, But Not “Really Good” At Anything

Ahead of his second fight in two months, Chiesa made an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. Discussing his opponent, the 33-year-old admitted that Brady doesn’t have a single hole in his game. However, while he knows the 28-year-old is well-rounded, Chiesa doesn’t believe he’s exceptionally good in any area.

“I’ll tell you about Sean Brady. He doesn’t have a single hole in his game. He’s as tough as they come. Look, you gotta pay respect to the camp first and foremost. I mean, Daniel Gracie, black belt, you know, training in the same house as Paul Felder when he’s back home. i know those guys are all well-prepared. While I say he’s very good at everything, I don’t think he’s really, really good at anything. I don’t think he’s a specialist. I just think he’s really good everywhere.”

Addressing the surging influx of unbeaten prospects in the welterweight division, Chiesa suggested that Brady should be spoken about and regarded as highly as Khamzat Chimaev, who recently shot to #10 on the 170-pound ladder. But despite Brady’s potential, and his intention to extend his record to 15-0 with a submission stoppage on November 20, Chiesa is confident he has the tools to get past his compatriot.

“I know I’m in for a tough test. I know these tough up-and-coming guys, who are undefeated, they’re no joke. They’re the future of this division. If you’re gonna bring Khamzat Chimaev up a lot, you’ve gotta bring up Sean Brady… But my time hasn’t passed yet. I’m only 33 years old. In terms of fight years, I don’t have a ton of miles on me, I haven’t been in a lot of wars. I’m a tough test for this guy and he’s a tough test for me. I just feel like I have the intangibles, things beyond the Xs and Os that are gonna be the difference maker in this fight.”

Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Vegas 43 co-main event, Michael Chiesa or Sean Brady?

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa: Brady Doesn’t Have A Single Hole In His Game at MMA News.

Brady Predicts Submission Victory Over Chiesa At UFC Vegas 43

Undefeated UFC welterweight Sean Brady is targeting a submission finish against contender Michael Chiesa at UFC Vegas 43 this weekend.

Brady, who has built an unblemished 14-0 professional record that includes seven finishes, is set to face his tou…

Undefeated UFC welterweight Sean Brady is targeting a submission finish against contender Michael Chiesa at UFC Vegas 43 this weekend.

Brady, who has built an unblemished 14-0 professional record that includes seven finishes, is set to face his toughest test to date when he enters the Octagon with the #6-ranked Chiesa inside the UFC Apex on Saturday. The 28-year-old hasn’t been in action since a submission victory over Jake Matthews at UFC 259 earlier this year.

Having surged into the rankings after just four outings in the promotion, the Philadelphia native will look to take a huge leap towards the 170-pound top five with an impressive display against “Maverick.”

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Brady Targets A Statement Finish Against A Top Contender

Brady was initially scheduled to face former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee on two separate occasions in 2021. Their July clash was postponed after “The Motown Phenom” suffered an injury. The second time around, the issue was on Brady’s side. He was forced to withdraw from their August booking after contracting a staph infection.

With Lee instead facing and losing to Daniel Rodriguez, Brady is content with moving on from the cursed matchup, and now firmly has his sights set on a top-10 contender. In an interview with MMA News’ James Lynch ahead of his fifth UFC outing this weekend, Brady discussed his matchup with Chiesa, suggesting he has the advantage wherever the fight goes.

“I’ve got nothing but respect for Chiesa, but I’ve got to make a statement and that’s what I plan on doing… On paper, we’re both grapplers. But I think I have an edge in just being more athletic, and I think I have the better standup. I feel like wherever this fight goes, if it goes to the ground I think I have the advantage, if we grapple I feel like I have the advantage, if it stays on the feet I feel like I have the advantage. I just think I’m the overall better fighter.

“I think there’s gonna be a lot of good grappling exchanges… he’s an amazing grappler. He’s beaten some of the best guys. So I’m looking forward to testing out my skills versus his. I think I’m just gonna be a little bit too much for him.”

When asked for his prediction on how the fight will end, Brady told MMA News that he believes he’ll submit Chiesa on November 20. If he does force a tap or put “Maverick” to sleep, Brady will be the second man to submit him in just four months. In Chiesa’s previous outing, he fell to a D’Arce choke against top-five welterweight Vicente Luque.

“I’ve had plenty of time, I’m gonna be in amazing shape, and I’m coming for a hard 15-minute fight. But I plan on getting it done before then… Honestly, I feel like I’m going to submit him. He’s (got) very good offensive jiu-jitsu, but he has four losses by submission, and I feel like I’ve been doing very well with my submissions in my fighting and in my training; it’s just getting better and better. I feel like that’s an area where I’ll be able to catch him.”

Catch our exclusive interview with Sean Brady ahead of UFC Vegas 43 below:

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Vegas 43, Sean Brady or Michael Chiesa?

Continue Reading Brady Predicts Submission Victory Over Chiesa At UFC Vegas 43 at MMA News.

Terrance McKinney Will Fight On Same Card As High School Coach Chiesa

Terrance McKinney is about to fulfill a childhood dream at UFC on ESPN+ 56.

A fighter’s journey to the top is really a solo mission. It usually takes a whole team and many years of work to get to the point of fighting on a UFC card. UFC lightweight…

Terrance McKinney is about to fulfill a childhood dream at UFC on ESPN+ 56.

A fighter’s journey to the top is really a solo mission. It usually takes a whole team and many years of work to get to the point of fighting on a UFC card. UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney is going to have the chance to shine next to one of the men who helped him on his journey to the top, his high school coach Michael Chiesa. McKinney posted on Twitter to share his excitement on this news.

I get to fight on the same card as my old high school wrestling coach, Mike Chiesa. I get to open the show and he helps close it. That’s a God move, and while we may not be on the same team he’s always with me. He inspired me to even do this, he supported me when few others did? pic.twitter.com/K7IwX5GsT8
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) November 14, 2021

“I get to fight on the same card as my old high school wrestling coach, Mike Chiesa,” McKinney wrote. “I get to open the show and he helps close it. That’s a God move, and while we may not be on the same team he’s always with me. He inspired me to even do this, he supported me when few others did.”

McKinney made his UFC debut back in June when he beat Matt Frevola at UFC 263 with a first-round KO. Following the amazing performance, Mckinney suffered an injury while still in the cage and has spent the last few months healing up. He now has his next Octagon appearance set as he is slated to take on Fares Ziam on the Nov. 20 card.

Before coming to the UFC, McKinney was turning head on the regional scene. He is riding a four-fight win streak. All his last four wins have come from KO. He is an exciting fighter in an exciting division. If McKinney can add some more highlight-reel finishes to his resume, he could find himself in the lightweight rankings soon.

As for Chiesa, this will be his 16th UFC appearance. He will take on the undefeated Shane Brady in the co-main event slot of the event.

Do you think both Terrance McKinney and Michael Chiesa can both get a win on Nov. 20?

Continue Reading Terrance McKinney Will Fight On Same Card As High School Coach Chiesa at MMA News.

Michael Chiesa vs. Sean Brady Set To Take Place On November 20

Michael Chiesa will throw down against Sean Brady in a welterweight matchup this fall. Chiesa is expected to face the undefeated Brady in an exciting welterweight bout for November 20th according to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, who first reported the news. T…

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa vs. Sean Brady Set To Take Place On November 20 at MMA News.

Michael Chiesa Makes A Painful Admission In Post-UFC 265 Statement

Michael Chiesa has released a detailed statement following his submission loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 265. Michael Chiesa had hoped to potentially stake his claim to a title shot with a strong performance at UFC 265. A win would have made five straigh…

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Makes A Painful Admission In Post-UFC 265 Statement at MMA News.