The limelight at the UFC’s summer press conference in 2017 was stolen by a bitter feud between two lightweights, one of whom returns at UFC Atlanta on Saturday.
Before the UFC’s very first trip to Azerbaijan and a return to the familiar surroundings of Las Vegas for International Fight Week 2025 and UFC 317, the Octagon is in the state of Georgia.
The UFC Fight Night at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on June 14 will be headlined by an important clash between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, as the former welterweight champion looks to get the better of a charging contender who is seven years younger.
Saturday’s lineup boasts a number of other notable names, including a prominent veteran who was involved in one of 2017’s most heated rivalries.
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Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee brawled after personal trash talk at a UFC press conference
The UFC staged a summer kickoff press conference in May 2017, with stars like Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Chris Weidman, and Holly Holm taking to the stage to preview their upcoming fights.
Going under the radar somewhat was the lightweight bout between Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee, which headlined UFC Oklahoma in June of that year.
That quickly changed, however, courtesy of a good old press conference scrap.
The near-brawl was sparked by some trash talk from Lee, whose mention of Chiesa’s mother rubbed ‘Maverick’ up the wrong way.
After an enraged Chiesa took to his feet to lambast ‘The Motown Phenom’, he charged at his opponent before being punched by Lee as security jumped in.
Kevin Lee got the last laugh against Michael Chiesa with controversial UFC win
Come fight night, things went the way of Lee — but the result wasn’t without controversy.
Lee submitted Chiesa via rear-naked choke in round one, but the stoppage came after referee Mario Yamasaki prematurely intervened before ‘Maverick’ had either tapped out or gone to sleep.
That controversy, coupled with what Chiesa described as a “cheap shot” at the press conference, seemingly left the 37-year-old less than pleased with Lee.
“People see me hit Chiesa at the press conference and that’s all they really know about me. They think that’s me,” Lee said on the Joe Rogan Experience in 2018.
“I’m cool, he’s not. He’s pissed still,” Lee continued. “I think he’s just mad (about) the whole situation. He’s mad with (how) the fight went down, but I think he’s more mad still that I hit him (at the press conference).”
While Lee no longer competes under the UFC banner, Chiesa has his next Octagon assignment set for Saturday’s event in Atlanta.
After winning his last two fights against Tony Ferguson and Max Griffin, ‘Maverick’ will look to continue his momentum at the expense of Court McGee.