Lättviktaren Michael Chiesa (9 – 0) kommer snart i samband med UFC on FOX 8 gå en match i Seattle, Washington, sin hemstat som han tidigare skulle ha gått match i under UFC on FOX 5. Men UFC eventet i december fick ställa in hans plats på matchkortet efter att TUF-vinnaren hade upptäckt ett konstigt märke på ryggen. Det visade sig att han var infekterad med både bältros och stafylokocker.
Såhär uttryckte Chiesa sina tankar inför hela situationen, via MMAJunkie:
It was really hard, not only that it was my UFC debut but that I got to fight in my home state. I had a lot of friends and family coming. I had a lot of things lined up. Honestly, it was something that I wanted to push, so I went to the doctor and got a diagnosis, and I had to take medicine for it. I was like, ’I’m going to do the right thing and call the UFC and make sure it’s all good.’ When I called Dr. Davidson, he was like, ’Dude, I can’t let you fight. There’s no way.’ I was like, ’What?’
It’s one of those things where I didn’t get the choice. They made the choice for me, but I know they had my best interests in mind. It’s one of those situations where if it was up to me, pride might have got the best of me, and I would have lost.
They told me if I one I started taking the medicines, I would just be sapped. Everything I had done the last two months, all the work I had put in, they said it was all going to be a waste – basically telling me, ’You really don’t have a chance to win from a medical standpoint.’ I didn’t have a choice, anyway. It was hard, but I’m one of those guys that I believe everything happens for a reason. I just trust in it and move past it. It’s a thing of the past.
Att Chiesa inte fick sin match i december var svårt för honom, men han säger också att det fick honom tid till att tänka igenom sitt förhållningssätt till att vara en fighter. I december var han otroligt fokuserad på att se till så att alla hans vänner fick tag i biljetter och han stressade upp sig med att hjälpa alla att boka resor, flyg och hotell med mera.
Den här gången har han lagt över det ansvaret på andra och kan fokusera helt på sin match i Seattle, vilket han ser som en revansch:
The truth is, I stressed myself out too much with the Seattle situation. I was getting all my friends tickets and lining up hotels. I was really taking on more than I should have been. I think I just stressed myself out too much. There was just too much going on at the time.
I should just be focused on fighting. Last time I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing. This time, I’m going to have other people handle it.
For me, I’m treating this like a rematch. I feel like I lost to Seattle in December. I’m getting my rematch.
Snart möter han den svenska publikfavoriten Reza Madadi (13 – 3) och den här gången kommer Chiesa kunna släppa allt annat förutom mötet i oktagonen.
UFC on FOX 8 går av stapeln 27 juni och består av sammanlagt 10 matcher, med titelfighten mellan Demetrious Johnson (17 – 2 – 1) och John Moraga (13 – 1) som huvudattraktion.
