Michael Chiesa Admits He ‘Cracked’ Under Self-Imposed Pressure at UFC 265

Michael Chiesa hit a road block on his path to the top of the welterweight division at UFC 265.

After winning his first four appearances at 170 pounds, “Maverick” suffered a submission loss to Vicente Luque on Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston. Making the defeat that much more painful is the way the fight started: Chiesa opened a cut under his opponent’s eye with a two-punch combination before landing a takedown and transitioning to Luque’s back early in the first round.

From there, Chiesa threatened with a rear-naked choke and a neck crank, but Luque was able to escape, transition into top position and secure a brabo choke, which forced the Sikjitsu representative to tap at the 3:25 mark of Round 1.

Chiesa later released a statement on Instagram in which he gave credit to Luque while admitting that he may have placed too much pressure on himself leading up to the fight.

First and most importantly, congrats to [Vicente Luque]. He’s a stone cold killer and a class act,” Chiesa wrote. “I look forward to seeing what’s next for him. It was an honor sharing the Octagon with him.

“To say I’m embarrassed is an understatement. Physically I was in the best shape of my life, mentally I was battling myself every single day. I put too much pressure on myself this fight and I cracked.”

However, Chiesa is confident that he can rebound from the disappointment of his latest setback.

“Historically throughout my career, every time I have faced adversity and came up short, I’ve turned around and grown tremendously. A couple more wins and I’ll be back in the mix,” he wrote. The goal remains the same, my belief is still just as strong and I love every single person that supports me so much that it hurts.”

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