Michael Chiesa has been finding success since making the move up to 170, thus far going 2-0 at the expense of veterans Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez. But there is one past opponent at lightweight that Chiesa would like to take another stab at: “The Motown Phenom” Kevin Lee, who also made the move up to welterweight recently. Michael Chiesa will be happy to discover that the interest in a rematch between the two is mutual (Transcript via MMA Fighting):
“That’s definitely something that’s still on the table,” Lee told Submission Radio of a potential rematch between himself and Chiesa at welterweight. “If he feels like he wants to run it back, I definitely love free money so I’m not gonna turn it down. He’s a good competitor, I’ll give him that, [but] they’ve tossed him a couple softballs. I haven’t fought a Diego Sanchez in my career yet. I don’t get them kind of softballs. I’m taking on former world champions. We’ll see how that whole thing plays out. There could still be some smoke there, and if there’s smoke, there might be some fire.”
The first bout between the two was not without controversy, as Michael Chiesa has insisted from the moment the fight ended and still to this day that referee Mario Yamaski botched the stoppage. Yamasaki declared Chiesa was unconscious via Lee’s rear-naked choke, only for Chiesa to immediately pop up in protest. But whether it’s Michael Chiesa that Kevin Lee faces next in a rematch or another welterweight, he already has an idea on when he would like to make his Octagon return:
“October,” Lee said. “October is where it’s at, that’s what we’re looking at,” Lee said. “We’re trying to figure out right now location and what card. I think a Pay-Per-View makes a lot of sense. I think there’s one here in Vegas so a homecoming in Vegas always sounds good but then again, there’s the San Francisco card in October. It’s a lot going on so October is when I’m looking at.”
Who do you believe would win a rematch between Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa at welterweight?
