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 at UFC on ESPN 2, Chiesa explained his move up to welterweight. At lightweight, the title picture is always in limbo with Conor McGregor in the mix. Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently suspended, and an interim title bout is lined up for this month.
The title picture at welterweight seems a lot more clear at 170 pounds with new champion Kamaru Usman leading the way (via MMA Junkie):
“The water’s a lot less murky,” Chiesa said. “That’s the best way to say it. I can see the bottom. I can see where I’ve got to go, I like the landscape of the division, and that it’s a lot more clear path to the title.”
It was mentioned that a fight between Chiesa and Neil Magny might have slipped through the cracks. However, “Maverick” still thinks big things are ahead nonetheless:
“I’m not going to dwell on it,” Chiesa said. “If (Magny) is going to move on and do something else, that’s up to him and his team. I’m just looking to get in the rankings.
“It was hard for me to leave the lightweight division having a number next to my name, but I feel like beating a guy like Condit, I don’t want to sound entitled, but I do kind of feel like I should be fighting a guy at the bottom of the top-15. I want to fight ranked guys. I’ve fought ranked guys before. I feel like I should be doing the same now.”
What do you think about Chiesa’s chances at winning the welterweight title?
