Michael Chiesa says he would have retired had he lost to Tony Ferguson at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Chiesa was fighting for the first time in over a year as he took on Ferguson, in a fight he was a sizeable favorite in. However, he was on a three-fight losing streak so there was pressure on him to get the win. Not only was Chiesa fighting to likely save his UFC job, but he says had he lost he would have hung up his gloves and retired. Luckily for Chiesa, he made quick work of Ferguson as he scored a first-round submission win.
“If Tony got the best of me, we’d be talking about how I’m going to really start upping my golf game a lot more, because I’d be done.”@MikeMav22 reveals he likely would have retired had he lost at #UFCAbuDhabi
Source: MMA Today w/@RJcliffordMMA pic.twitter.com/WLILUgsuHg
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) August 5, 2024
“If things didn’t go my way, there was one thing I would hold out for and that would be hopes of fighting in Seattle or Washington State one more time. But, definitely, it was one of those things, having conversations with my wife, if Tony beats me it’s done. It wouldn’t matter,” Chiesa said on MMA on Sirius XM. “I’m not attached to the losses anymore, it doesn’t take away my body of work. It doesn’t take away the fact that I beat numerous former UFC champs, beat former interim champions, I’ve beaten former No. 1 contenders, I’ve beaten a lot of good guys, I’ve won The Ultimate Fighter.
“If Tony beat me and it ended now, I had a great career. I fought for 12 years in the UFC. It would be tough to not go out on a win. If Tony got the best of me we would be talking about how I would be upping my golf game more because I’d be done,” Chiesa added.
With Michael Chiesa getting the first-round submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC Abu Dhabi, ‘Maverick’ still believes he has a lot more left in the sport. But, had he lost, that would have been the last time Chiesa made the walk to the Octagon.
Michael Chiesa is 17-7 as a pro and returned to the win column with the submission win over Ferguson. Chiesa is 12-7 in the UFC and has notable wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Neil Magny, Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez, Beneil Dariush, and Al Iaquinta among others.
