Michael Chiesa shares video of moment he broke his nose prior to Rafael dos Anjos win
Michael Chiesa has come with the receipts to prove his post-fight claim that he suffered an injury weeks prior to beating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN+ 24.
Chiesa (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) defeated the former UFC champ dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) by unanimous decision this past weekend in Raleigh, N.C. The win pushed him to 3-0 since moving up to the welterweight division in December 2018, and following the win, Chiesa revealed troubles he was forced to overcome throughout fight camp, primarily a broken nose.
“The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner said he wasn’t making a baseless claim, and had the evidence to prove that his preparation was far from smooth. On Thursday, Chiesa posted sparring footage of the moment he collided with a training partner, as well as an X-ray taken afterward (via Instagram):
Heres a #tbt to December 11th when I fractured my nose in two places during training camp for RDA. I didn’t want to lose the opportunity’s head of me so I had to take a chance. Deciding not to pull out of the fight made it the most stressful camp of my career. With only a small fraction of the sparring and live grappling I normally do in an 8 week camp, we still got the job done.
#campchiesa
After overcoming adversity to topple a former UFC champ for the first time, Chiesa’s confidence was sky high. He immediately called out former interim titleholder Colby Covington for a summer showdown, but has yet to get a response.
“I always say the most important time to ask for a fight is after you win,” Chiesa said. “You’ve got to capitalize. I’m not out to engage in some verbal pissing match with the guy. I respect his skills. He’s super tough. I’m just trying to get to a world title. I think that’s the fight that makes the most sense when you look at the top five.”
Michael Chiesa shares video of moment he broke his nose prior to Rafael dos Anjos win