![]() Welterweight: Warlley Alves (15-4, 7-4 UFC) defeats Mounir Lazzez (10-2, 1-1 UFC) by first-round TKO (Watch this fight on ESPN+) Whoever comes out of that bout as the victor could have a case to be made for a title shot, regardless of what happens with Masvidal, Covington and the rest. With both of their preferred next dance partners likely tied up, why not put together Chiesa and Thompson? Both are on winning streaks - "Wonderboy" has won two straight - and it would be a really interesting stylistic matchup: Thompson's precision, karate-based striking against Chiesa's oppressive grappling. Thompson looked incredible in victory over Geoff Neal last month, and then called out Masvidal. That leaves Chiesa on the outside looking in, and there is another welterweight going through the same thing: Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. That would also likely be a UFC welterweight title eliminator bout with the winner going on to face either champion Kamaru Usman or his next challenger Gilbert Burns. The UFC is trying to put together a bout between Covington and his rival - and former best friend - Jorge Masvidal. ![]() Maybe that could happen, but it would require some patience. Who's next for Chiesa? Chiesa was pretty clear on who he wants next: Covington. He went 3-0 in 2020 after being cleared by USADA of an anti-doping policy violation. Magny, 33, had won five of seven overall coming in. Most recently the New York native, who lives and trains in Colorado, impressively defeated former champion Robbie Lawler in August by unanimous decision. Magny (24-8) had a three-fight winning streak snapped. "But I've got work to do and I've got fights to take. "We've gotta let this division play out a little bit," Chiesa said. Chiesa, 33, has won seven of nine overall. The Washington native is now 4-0 since his move to the welterweight division from lightweight in 2018. The card took place at Etihad Arena in front of a small crowd, only the second time the UFC has had ticketed fans in attendance since last March due to the coronavirus pandemic.Ĭhiesa (18-4) has won four straight and was coming off a unanimous-decision win over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in January 2020. Chiesa ended the fight in full mount in the fifth.Ĭhiesa was successful on 4-of-6 takedown attempts and had 15:21 control time on the ground, according to UFC Stats. Magny had an inverted triangle almost locked in at the end of the fourth round as his best offense, but Chiesa was never in any real trouble. Chiesa landed a beautiful left hand straight into a takedown to begin the fourth and it was more of the same: Chiesa on top and Magny figuring out a way to defend or get up. But quickly, Chiesa was able to fight his way up and into top position himself, then mount. In the third, Magny actually came out with a successful takedown and got to Chiesa's back. When Magny went for a slam in the second round, Chiesa shifted his weight and ended up on top, where he landed big elbows. In the first round, he worked for a kimura from half guard, but Magny escaped. He got Magny down in every round and won just about every scramble on the ground, ending up on top. Magny is one of the toughest outs in the division and Chiesa, at times, made it look easy. There was one name he mentioned, afterward: former interim champion Colby Covington. By beating Magny, a stalwart in the 170-pound division, Chiesa has surely earned a contender fight next. 10 in the world at welterweight coming into the bout. "If I wasn't about to push through five rounds, I couldn't talk about being a champion."ĮSPN had Chiesa ranked No. "I knew he was a good test for me," Chiesa said in his postfight interview. In perhaps the best performance of his career, Chiesa dominated Neil Magny on the ground over five rounds en route to a unanimous-decision victory (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. Michael Chiesa has added his name to the list of elite welterweights in the UFC. UFC Fight Night results: Michael Chiesa officially a welterweight contender ![]() You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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