UFC 226’s main card featured a showcase of the lightweight division featuring Michael Chiesa and Anthony Pettis that did not disappoint.
Yesterday, at the UFC 226 weigh-ins, a lightweight bout was turned into a catchweight affair as Michael Chiesa missed weight by a pound and a half. Chiesa was fined a percentage of his purse, and vowed to exit the division for welterweight. Regardless of that, Anthony Pettis vs. Michael Chiesa was must win for both of them. Chiesa had lost to Kevin Lee last time out, and Pettis to Dustin Poirer. Both coming off losses, it was especially a must win for Anthony Pettis, who had fallen on hard times after losing his title to RDA in 2015. He’d gone just 2-5 since then, including a failed stint at featherweight.
The beginning of the fight largely revolved around Chiesa’s game plan coming to fruition, taking the fight to the ground — but Pettis showed how savvy he is there. He looked for multiple submissions including getting the back of Chiesa at one point. However on the feet Pettis had a noticable advantage, and was landing a number of leg kicks. Pettis and Chiesa got in each other’s faces at the end of round one, and the bad blood showed as the fight progressed.
The punch that set up the finish ..#UFC226 @ShowtimePettis pic.twitter.com/rJZowkNGiq
— UFC (@ufc) July 8, 2018
Round two began, and in the blink of an eye Pettis rocked and dropped Chiesa! Pettis dropped down for a guillotine but couldn’t secure it. Chiesa tried to compose himself in Pettis’s guard but got caught slipping, allowing Pettis to lock in a triangle-armbar. That’s all she wrote! What a performance by Showtime. A key win by the former champion.
Anthony Pettis def. Michael Chiesa by submission (triangle armbar), Round 2, 0:52
