Michael Chiesa has been experiencing a bit of a career resurgence since making a move to the welterweight division in 2018. "Maverick" added to his momentum on Wednesday with a unanimous decision victory (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) over Neil Magny in a welterweight Fight Night headliner on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Chiesa maintained control for the majority of the five-round main event bout against Magny as he moved to 4-0 since moving up to 170 pounds in December 2018, where the streak began with a submission victory over Carlos Condit. Magny did his best to utilize a strategy of keeping the fight on the feet to score points with strikes, but nearly every attempt was thwarted by Chiesa's superior grappling skills, which led to the decisive victory over Magny, who entered on a three-fight winning streak of his own.
With Chiesa now 4-0 at welterweight and clearly prepared for another step up the ladder, he wasted no time on Wednesday in setting his sights on a recent 170-pound title challenger -- Colby Covington.
"The election is over. Colby Covington, your schtick is done. I want you next, boy," Chiesa said before exiting the cage after the win.
Called out! 🗣@MikeMav22 had only one name in mind after that!
— UFC (@ufc) January 20, 2021
[ #UFCFightIsland8 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/dXBQcdShL8
Chiesa hasn't yet done quite enough to earn a shot at reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman -- who is slated to defend his title against Gilbert Burns in February -- but a victory over Covington, who currently sits at No. 1 in the UFC welterweight rankings, could put him in prime position for an opportunity sooner rather than later.
