Michael Chiesa feels like a free man. Chiesa made his welterweight debut last December against the legendary Carlos Condit and came through with a submission victory in the second round. After having lost two straight at 155, this win was a breath of fresh air after drowning in the drudges of weight cutting. And if Chiesa could go back in time, he would have made the leap a lot sooner:
“Honestly in hindsight I feel stupid because I just can’t believe that I did that to myself for so long,” Chiesa told MMA Fighting. “I pride myself on being a mentally tough guy and just last year around this time, that mental toughness played against me.”
“I’m glad I made that decision now rather than later. Because I really feel like the prime window for a fighter is like 30 to 34 [years old] and I feel my best years are ahead of me and I’m in the best place to make a run like I’ve been talking about for many, many years.
Now that the opponent of the scale has been removed from Chiesa’s space, he is now free to work towards what he always has: UFC championship gold.
“I’m not here to be mediocre. I’m not in the UFC just to get a paycheck and make a living,” Chiesa said. “That’s really not what I’m here for. If I wanted to make money, I would have gotten out of the sport and done something else. I want to be a world champion.
“I still have ambition. I still have that feeling that I know I’m going to be a world champion. I could have stayed in the mix at 155 [pounds] and it was tough to leave that ranking. I had to leave that ranking and go back to the bottom of the heap but I had a really good performance against Carlos and I’ve got to do the same against Diego [Sanchez]. I’ve got to go pitch a shutout.”
Michael Chiesa will have an opportunity to continue to make strides towards championship status at UFC 239 this Saturday when he takes on Diego Sanchez. And if all goes according to plan, Sanchez will be the second of many more blocks to fall until Chiesa rises to the welterweight throne:
“All I’ve got to do is keep winning fights. As long as I’m healthy, I can fight more frequently cause I’m not killing myself to make weight,” Chiesa said. “The time is now.
“The mission stays the same. I’m going to be a world champion and it’s going to be at welterweight.”
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