Michael Chiesa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael Chiesa |
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Michael Chiesa at UFC 232 in Inglewood, California, in December 2018
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| Born | Michael Keith Chiesa December 7, 1987 Aurora, Colorado, U.S. |
| Nickname(s) | Maverick |
| Residence | Spokane Valley, Washington, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Division | Lightweight (2011–2018) Welterweight (2008–2011, 2018–present) |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Style | Wrestling |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Spokane Valley, Washington, U.S. |
| Team | Sikjitsu (2008–present) Team Alpha Male Syndicate MMA (2013–present) |
| Teacher(s) | Rick Little |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under James Weed |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 25 |
| Wins | 18 |
| By submission | 12 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 1 |
Michael Keith Chiesa (born December 7, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is also a sports analyst. Michael competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has been a professional mixed martial artist since 2008. Chiesa won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Live on FX.
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Early Life and Training
Michael Chiesa was born in Aurora, Colorado. He moved to Spokane County, Washington, when he was young. He grew up in Otis Orchards-East Farms with his two older sisters.
When he was 11, Michael started wrestling. Before his 16th birthday, he moved to live with his dad and stepmom. He wrestled at Shadle Park High School and then went to Spokane Falls Community College for a short time. He soon left college to focus on a career in mixed martial arts.
Michael's MMA Journey
Starting His Career
Michael Chiesa began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2008. He fought for different groups in the Pacific Northwest. He won his first seven fights without any losses. This led to a chance to be on The Ultimate Fighter: Live.
The Ultimate Fighter Show
Chiesa was one of 32 lightweight fighters chosen for the first live season of The Ultimate Fighter. This is a reality TV show where fighters compete to win a UFC contract.
Michael earned his spot in the show's house by winning a fight against Johnavan Vistante. He also received a $5,000 bonus. He was picked for Team Faber. Sadly, Michael's father, who was very ill, passed away shortly after this victory.
Michael then fought Jeremy Larsen and won by decision. In the quarter-finals, he faced Justin Lawrence. After a tough fight, it went to a third "sudden-victory" round. Michael won by TKO, earning another $5,000 bonus.
In the semi-finals, Chiesa fought James Vick. Michael won by TKO in the second round. This sent him to the finals against his teammate, Al Iaquinta.
Fighting in the UFC
Michael Chiesa officially joined the UFC at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale on June 1, 2012. He fought Al Iaquinta, his teammate from the show. Michael won by a submission move called a rear-naked choke. This made him the first winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Live. He also earned a "Submission of the Night" award.
Chiesa was supposed to fight Rafaello Oliveira in December 2012, but Oliveira got hurt. Then Michael also had to pull out due to illness.
Michael next fought Anton Kuivanen in February 2013. He won by rear-naked choke in the second round.
In July 2013, Michael faced Jorge Masvidal. This was his first professional loss, as Masvidal won by submission.
After this, Chiesa fought Colton Smith in November 2013. He won by submission in the second round, earning another "Submission of the Night" award.
Michael continued to fight in the UFC:
- He won against Francisco Trinaldo in May 2014 by decision.
- He lost to Joe Lauzon in September 2014 due to a cut. This fight was so exciting that both fighters earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus.
- He won against Mitch Clarke in April 2015 by decision.
- He won against Jim Miller in December 2015 by submission, earning another "Fight of the Night" bonus.
- He won against Beneil Dariush in April 2016 by submission. This earned him a "Performance of the Night" bonus.
In June 2017, Chiesa fought Kevin Lee. Before the fight, they had a heated argument. Michael lost this fight by technical submission. He tried to appeal the decision, saying the referee stopped the fight too early. However, his appeal was not successful.
Even with one fight left on his contract, Michael signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC in August 2017.
UFC 223 Incident
Michael was set to fight Anthony Pettis in April 2018. However, the fight was canceled due to an incident with Conor McGregor. McGregor threw a dolly at a bus Michael was on, breaking a window. Michael was hurt by glass shards and needed to go to the hospital.
Later, Michael had a legal issue with Conor McGregor. They reached a settlement in 2022.
The fight with Anthony Pettis was rescheduled for July 2018. Michael weighed in a little over the limit for his weight class. He lost the fight by submission. After this loss, Michael decided to move up to the welterweight division.
Moving to Welterweight
Michael Chiesa started fighting in the welterweight division in December 2018.
- He won his first welterweight fight against Carlos Condit by submission.
- He won against Diego Sanchez in July 2019 by decision. He dedicated this win to the memory of Jess Roskelley.
- He won against Rafael dos Anjos in January 2020 by decision.
- He won against Neil Magny in January 2021 by decision, controlling the fight on the ground.
- He lost to Vicente Luque in August 2021 by submission.
- He lost to Sean Brady in November 2021 by decision.
- He was supposed to fight Li Jingliang in April 2023, but Jingliang got a spine injury.
- He lost to Kevin Holland in July 2023 by submission.
- He won against Tony Ferguson in August 2024 by rear-naked choke submission.
- On his birthday in December 2024, he won against Max Griffin by rear-naked choke submission.
Michael Chiesa is scheduled to fight again in February 2025.
Beyond the Octagon
Michael Chiesa was featured in a documentary about mixed martial arts called Fight Life. The film was released in 2013.
Since May 2018, Michael has also worked as a sports analyst for UFC events. He often appears on the desk to discuss fights.
Awards and Achievements
Michael Chiesa has achieved many things in his career:
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- The Ultimate Fighter 15 Tournament winner
- Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller
- Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Al Iaquinta and Colton Smith
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Beneil Dariush
- He has absorbed the fewest strikes per minute in UFC Welterweight history (0.94).
- He is tied for second most rear-naked choke submissions in UFC history (7).
- Lords of the Cage
- LOTC Lightweight Championship (One time)
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2016 April Submission of the Month vs. Beneil Dariush
- 2018 December Submission of the Month vs. Carlos Condit
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 25 matches | 18 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By submission | 12 | 5 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 18–7 | Max Griffin | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 310 | December 7, 2024 | 3 | 1:56 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 17–7 | Tony Ferguson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov | August 3, 2024 | 1 | 3:44 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 16–7 | Kevin Holland | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC 291 | July 29, 2023 | 1 | 2:39 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 16–6 | Sean Brady | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate | November 20, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–5 | Vicente Luque | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC 265 | August 7, 2021 | 1 | 3:25 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 16–4 | Neil Magny | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny | January 20, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 15–4 | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos | January 25, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | |
| Win | 14–4 | Diego Sanchez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 239 | July 6, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–4 | Carlos Condit | Submission (kimura) | UFC 232 | December 29, 2018 | 2 | 0:56 | Inglewood, California, United States | Return to Welterweight. |
| Loss | 12–4 | Anthony Pettis | Submission (triangle armbar) | UFC 226 | July 7, 2018 | 2 | 0:52 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (157.5 lb) bout; Chiesa missed weight. |
| Loss | 12–3 | Kevin Lee | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee | June 25, 2017 | 1 | 4:37 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 12–2 | Beneil Dariush | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans | April 16, 2016 | 2 | 1:20 | Tampa, Florida, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 11–2 | Jim Miller | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant | December 10, 2015 | 2 | 2:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 10–2 | Mitch Clarke | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas | April 4, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Fairfax, Virginia, United States | |
| Loss | 9–2 | Joe Lauzon | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Mousasi | September 5, 2014 | 2 | 2:14 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 9–1 | Francisco Trinaldo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 173 | May 24, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Colton Smith | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC: Fight for the Troops 3 | November 6, 2013 | 2 | 1:41 | Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States | Submission of the Night. |
| Loss | 7–1 | Jorge Masvidal | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga | July 27, 2013 | 2 | 4:59 | Seattle, Washington, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Anton Kuivanen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 157 | February 23, 2013 | 2 | 2:29 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Al Iaquinta | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale | June 1, 2012 | 1 | 2:47 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won The Ultimate Fighter 15 Lightweight Tournament. Submission of the Night. |
| Win | 5–0 | Darrell Fenner | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CageSport 16 | October 1, 2011 | 1 | 0:45 | Tacoma, Washington, United States | Welterweight bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Matt Coble | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Lords of the Cage 6 | July 16, 2011 | 1 | 2:13 | Manson, Washington, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Evian Rodriguez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Lords of the Cage 5 | April 28, 2011 | 1 | 1:03 | Airway Heights, Washington, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Darcy James | Submission (brabo choke) | Battlefield Fight League 7 | March 26, 2011 | 1 | 0:53 | Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Win | 1–0 | Andy Paves | Decision (unanimous) | Rumble on the Ridge 14 | October 20, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Snoqualmie, Washington, United States |
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 4 matches | 4 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 4–0 | James Vick | TKO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Live | May 25, 2012 (Live airdate) | 2 | 1:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | The Ultimate Fighter 15 Semi-Final round. |
| Win | 3–0 | Justin Lawrence | TKO (punches) | May 11, 2012 (Live airdate) | 3 | 1:02 | The Ultimate Fighter 15 Quarter-Final round. | ||
| Win | 2–0 | Jeremy Larsen | Decision (unanimous) | April 6, 2012 (Live airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | The Ultimate Fighter 15 Preliminary round. | ||
| Win | 1–0 | Johnavan Vistante | Submission (rear-naked choke) | March 9, 2012 (Live airdate) | 1 | 2:05 | The Ultimate Fighter 15 Elimination round. |
See also
In Spanish: Michael Chiesa para niños
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of male mixed martial artists
