HOUSTON – Michael Chiesa isn’t sure how things will play out when he enters the cage against Vicente Luque, but he recognizes the danger that will be present.
Though many view the UFC 265 matchup as a “striker vs. grappler” matchup, Chiesa (18-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) doesn’t think it’s that simple. At the highest level, being well rounded is a necessity. Regardless of where the fight goes, Chiesa will be wary of Luque (20-7-1 MMA, 13-3 UFC) and his abilities.
“Every fight is a big opportunity,” Chiesa told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I’ve got a super tough opponent in front of me. I know a lot of people are going to start (formulating) questions about what comes next and who could possibly be next for Kamaru Usman. I touched on it prior to the fight being signed and early on in the camp: I’m not looking that far ahead. I’m not looking at who could be next or what could come after this fight. I’m just solely focused on Vicente Luque. It would be a mistake for me to start talking about what comes next because I have a tough-ass fight ahead of me.”
As unpredictable as the fight is, Chiesa thinks it’s a safe bet he encounters adversity at some point. He’s watched and analyzed Luque for quite some time, and the tape has shown as much.
“I think I’m in for a battle,” Luque said. “If it’s early of the two, great. That would be awesome. There’s no guarantee in that when you’re fighting a guy like Vicente Luque. He’s a guy, before I was ever at welterweight, I’ll never forget his knockout over (Hector) Urbina. (It is) one of my favorite knockouts ever in the UFC. Now, I’m like, ‘I’ve got to fight the guy who has one of my favorite knockouts in the UFC. Great.’ To get where I want to go in this sport and where my goals are, this is the guy that I’ve got to fight to get there. Whether I walk through the fire or this is smooth sailing, I’m ready for whatever. But I anticipate a tough fight.”
UFC 265 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
Check out Chiesa’s full UFC 265 pre-fight news conference in the video above.
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