Michael Chiesa was ‘really mad’ at himself after Vicente Luque loss

It wasn’t that long ago that fans were watching Michael Chiesa suffer a devastating first-round submission loss. That loss to Vicente Luque was punctuated by the fact that his reaction was filmed and aired for UFC’s “The Thrill and the Agony” post-fight video series.

When asked what he was feeling at that moment, Chiesa was candid with his feelings.

“There’s a lot that goes into these fights,” Chiesa said during the UFC Vegas 43 media day. “I tell people all the time, one fight is a full season in another sport. We put in 10 to 12-week training camps leading into one moment. An NFL season, is what? Seventeen weeks or something like that? It’s fairly relative to the same length of a season in any other sport, so when you lose that season, it hurts. It hurts a lot, especially when you pride yourself on being a hard worker and being a cerebral fighter. I was just really mad at myself. I guess that’s the best way to say it. I was really upset with myself.”

Chiesa is looking to rebound quickly when he faces undefeated Sean Brady on Saturday afternoon.

“I just want to prove I’m still that guy,” Chiesa said. “There’s no better way to do that than to fight a tough, undefeated, up-and-coming prospect that everybody is super high on – as they should be. Look at his line of work. (It’s) been great. He’s undefeated in the UFC. He’s undefeated in his career. The place he cut his teeth in CFFC, that’s a tough proving ground for an up-and-coming fighter. I know what he’s capable of. I know what he brings to the table. This ain’t no pushover. He’s a tough kid, but I still have to prove I’m the guy. And I know I’m the guy. And I know I’m going to get my hand raised. I’m super excited to get out there and compete.”

Chiesa and Brady step into the co-main slot for UFC Vegas 43 which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 20.