Michael Chiesa doesn’t have many nice things to say about Conor McGregor.
Two days before UFC 223 back in April, a media day session was held in the lobby of the Barclays Center. The festivities took place without incident. It was after the session had wrapped up when the chaos began.
McGregor and his entourage rushed inside the lobby and took an elevator down to where fighter buses were set to take off. McGregor and his group swarmed the bus holding red corner fighters. The “Notorious” one hurled a dolly, shattering a glass window. Chiesa was cut as a result and rendered unable to compete against Anthony Pettis.
McGregor arrived in New York City from Dublin after Khabib Nurmagomedov confronted Artem Lobov in a hotel lobby earlier in the week. Max Holloway was set to take on “The Eagle,” but he was deemed medically unfit to compete. Had Chiesa not been injured, he likely would’ve been called upon to challenge Nurmagomedov for the vacant lightweight gold.
Speaking to the media recently, Chiesa talked about the incident (via MMAFighting.com):
“I don’t really got a lot to say to the guy. I lost a title shot. I have proof. I was the highest-ranked guy on the card. I would have stepped in to fight Khabib at the drop of a dime. I’ve always loved the fight with Khabib. Bless his heart, he’s a cool ass guy. But this is a sport and I’ve always liked the way I matched up against him and I got f*cked out of that opportunity. I don’t really have too many kind things to say to [McGregor]. You work your whole life for those kinds of opportunities. Do I want mine on short order? No, I’d love a training camp. Like I said, if they walk in the door now and say, ‘Hey, do you want to fight for the title in the next 10 minutes?’ I’m out the door, I’m warming up, I’m ready to go.”
Do you think Michael Chiesa would’ve been the best option to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223?
