Michael Chiesa feels he let pressure get the best of him in one of the biggest fights of his career.
In a battle of welterweight contenders, “Maverick” suffered a tough loss when he was submitted by Vicente Luque in the first round of their main card bout Saturday at UFC 265 in Houston. Chiesa scored the first takedown of the fight and threatened with a rear-naked choke, but Luque reversed positions and moments later locked in a D’Arce choke that forced Chiesa to tap out.
Chiesa, No. 7 in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings prior to UFC 265, saw a four-fight win streak snapped and lost for the first time since moving up to the 170-pound division.