Michael Chiesa suffered an unimaginable tragedy right in the middle of the biggest experience of his career.
UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa will face fellow veteran Court McGee this Saturday at UFC Atlanta. The fight marks Chiesa’s return to the Octagon after submitting Max Griffin at UFC 310 in December, following a first-round finish over Tony Ferguson.
During his UFC fighting tenure, Chiesa has also become one of the top analysts for ESPN’s MMA coverage, and is a common presence on the UFC broadcast desk. But Chiesa still has lofty MMA ambitions for the remainder of his career as he prepares to take on McGee this weekend.
Chiesa’s UFC stint began while coping through an unimaginable tragedy while on the set of The Ultimate Fighter 15.
Michael Chiesa won TUF 15 just days after father’s tragic death
Amid his four-fight run on TUF 15, Chiesa got a phone call from his family informing him that his father’s battle with cancer came to a tragic end. Despite his father’s tragic death, Chiesa opted to move forward with his pursuit of a UFC contract after making a death-bed promise to his Dad before traveling to Las Vegas to compete.
“I never would have stepped on that plane to Las Vegas to leave for TUF knowing my dad’s condition if it wasn’t for him making me make a promise to him that no matter what happens to him or anything else I have to go through with my dream,” Chiesa said in a 2021 interview with UFC.com.
Chiesa went on to earn wins over Johnavan Vistante, Jeremy Larsen, Justin Lawrence and James Vick en route to the TUF 15 Finale. He faced off with eventual UFC title challenger Al Iaquinta for a contract.
Chiesa and Iaquinta treated fans to an entertaining fight for as long as it lasted, but the night belonged to Chiesa and his family. Just minutes into the fight, Chiesa choked Iaquinta to sleep with a rear-naked choke to cap off his incredible lightweight tournament run.
Michael Chiesa faces a fellow UFC vet in UFC Atlanta return
After Chiesa’s TUF 15 win, he’s gone on to have a successful career in the cage, fulfilling his 2012 promise to his father. He’s earned wins over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Carlos Condit, and Beneil Dariush during his promotional tenure.
Chiesa is knocking on the door of a potential spot in the welterweight Top 15 entering his UFC Atlanta showdown with McGee. He’s bounced back nicely after three consecutive losses to Kevin Holland, Sean Brady and Vicente Luque ramped up retirement calls.
Chiesa continues to make his family proud as he continues to find success in and out of the cage. Somewhere, his late father is smiling down on Chiesa as he prepares for another UFC challenge.
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