UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa is excited for a veteran vs veteran matchup with fellow TUF winner Court McGee going into their fight at UFC Atlanta on Saturday night.
“I welcome the matchup. I think it’s more challenging of a matchup than the oddsmakers have it pegged as. His body of work is impressive. He’s been around for a very, very long time. Got a tremendous amount of respect for the guy,” Chiesa told reporters on Wednesday.
“Him winning The Ultimate Fighter is part of that and just everything he’s overcame in his life. It’s nice laying it on the line against guys that you have a lot of respect for.”
Chiesa (18-7) enters the fight at 37-years-old having competed in the UFC for the last 12 years. Still he’s not ready to hang it up just yet.
“Just like anybody in any sport, any athlete, I just love competition. I love to fight. I’ve been with the same coach my entire career. He would have very honest conversations with me if it was time to slow down,” he said.
“We’ve talked about this as I’ve gotten older in my career. Rick’s always said if I’m not looking good in the gym, if I’m taking too many shots, if I’m not able to perform, he would be very honest with me. That’s part of a benefit of being with someone for so long as they just know you.
“I’m still winning. Who’s to say I can’t win this fight, win another one, get another shot in the rankings? I’m not Michael Bisping, I’m not Daniel Cormier, but those guys achieved a lot of great things in the late stages of their career. If I didn’t feel I could beat the best guys in the world I wouldn’t continue to do this.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Michael Chiesa above. He takes on Court McGee at UFC Atlanta on Saturday night.
