Michael Chiesa will make the walk for the final time on Saturday night at UFC Seattle, closing the chapter on a career that has spanned more than a decade inside the octagon. Set to face Niko Price in his retirement bout, the Washington native gets a fitting homecoming as he looks to end his run on his own terms in front of a hometown crowd.
Chiesa (19-7) saw his original opponent withdraw from the bout due to visa issues, putting his spot on the card in jeopardy. When Price stepped in to take the fight, Chiesa welcomed the matchup, though he remained tight-lipped about the details before the official announcement.
“I knew but I just wasn’t sure. I kind of wanted to wait for the UFC to announce it. With everything that we talked about with the Seattle curse for me, I’m just going to wait until they announce it so I don’t get ahead of myself,” Chiesa told reporters on Wednesday.
“It had been like 8 days from the time I got the call that Carlston (Harris) was out until the time that I got the call that Niko is in.”
The card carries added significance for Chiesa, as fellow UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney is also competing. The two share a long history, dating back to McKinney’s high school days when Chiesa served as one of his coaches.
“I coached Terrance in high school. It’s just like a full-circle moment to be sharing a card with him here in Seattle down the street from the Tacoma Dome where he won two state titles,” he said.
“That one is particularly really special for me.”
With the final fight of his career approaching, Chiesa admitted there is still one opponent he’d be willing to face, even outside the cage. Fellow welterweight Colby Covington has long been a source of frustration, with Chiesa dodging callouts while continuing to trade barbs on social media.
“I would fight him right now if he walked in, and I would still fight Niko Price on Saturday,” he said.
“It’s a drop of a hat. I would do it right now.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Michael Chiesa above. He faces Niko Price at UFC Seattle on Saturday night.
