Michael Chiesa: ‘Let’s Find Out Who’s The Toughest’

“It’s like unfinished business. While there’s no beef between us, I don’t know how he feels about me, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for the guy. We’re pretty cordial when we see each other. It’s one of those things where I asked to fight Tony Ferguson after I fought Beneil Dariush. He was the boogeyman, no one wanted to fight him. I was willing to throw my name in the hat. I asked for Tony Ferguson, I asked for a main event, and they gave it to me. That was when I had a really bad back injury that put me out for a while.”

This time around, The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 winner is not only in better physical condition, but is as mentally sharp as he’s ever been in his professional career. After three straight setbacks, Chiesa took a year-long break from competition to bring much needed attention to the mental aspect of his game.

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“The adjustments I’ve needed to make in the last year have been more mental than technical,” Chiesa said. “Obviously, I’m always improving from a technical standpoint, I’m always improving my skills, but there are things I needed to address from the mental side of the sport. I know it’s very cliché to say but this sport really is 99 percent mental. I needed to get my mentality right.

“I’m very fortunate. My uncle is a sports psychologist, so [I’ve been] communicating with him, talking with him, working out the kinks and getting things fixed that needed to be fixed. Just getting those things addressed was very important, especially heading into this fight.”

While Ferguson’s dropped his last seven fights inside the Octagon, Chiesa still anticipates facing the same Ferguson that won 12 straight fights between 2013 and 2019, The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 and the interim lightweight title.

“I just don’t look at the 0-7 run,” Chiesa said. “I’d be a fool to do that. I’ve trained for Tony Ferguson before; we were supposed to fight in 2016. When I was supposed to fight him in 2016, that was amidst the crazy run that he was on, so that’s been the Tony I’ve been training for. Not to mention, I’m 0-3 in my last three fights, so I know what it’s like to be in that position… I’m kind of in the same boat as he is.

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“I’m preparing for the best Tony Ferguson, and I think I’m going to get the best Tony Ferguson we’ve seen in a while.”

While their recent collective results don’t indicate a compelling matchup on paper, both fighters give it their all every time they step in the Octagon, and Chiesa expects nothing less when they meet this Saturday at UFC Abu Dhabi.

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“Fans are going to tune in because it’s Tony Ferguson,” Chiesa said. “Everybody tunes in for a Tony Ferguson fight. I’m a fan first. I’m a huge fan of the guy. It’s going to be a fun fight. I’m going to bring the best version of myself. I’ve corrected the things that needed to be corrected. Mentally, physically, everything is on point. All sides point to me having a stellar performance. I think Tony is feeling the same way and I think that makes for a really exciting fight.”

“TUF champ vs TUF champ, let’s find out who’s the toughest.”