If you take Michael Chiesa at his word, Friday will be his arrival in the UFC.
The surprise winner of The Ultimate Fighter 15 has quietly been making quite an impression in the MMA community.
After winning four exhibition bouts to earn his way into the finals, Chiesa submitted a favored Al Iaquinta to secure a UFC contract in 2012. Since then, he scored an impressive submission win over Finland’s Anton Kuivanen.
“I feel like I’ve proven to the world that I belong in the UFC, and this is the fight where I’m going to prove that I’m a contender,” Chiesa told MMAjunkie. “This is my chance to prove to the world what I really feel: that I’m a championship-caliber fighter. I get better every time out, and I’ve just got to go out and make a statement on Friday night.”
“I don’t think Joe’s got a good grasp of what he’s in for Friday night, but when I cage door closes and he figures it out when I put my hands on him, he’s going to realize he’s in for a long night,” Chiesa said. “It’s not going to go as good as he thinks it is. I’m really going to beat this guy. I have all the respect in the world for him, but he’s going to get beat up.”
