Michael Chiesa Shoots Down Demian Maia’s Callout

Following his submission victory over Lyman Good at UFC Fortaleza, Demian Maia issued out an interesting callout.

The Brazilian said he’d like to step into the Octagon against fellow grappler Michael Chiesa next. It certainly sounds like an interesting match-up on paper, as both men are phenomenal grapplers. Maia said the match-up came to mind after several fans bombarded his social media page after seeing Chiesa’s submission victory over Carlos Condit in December.

However, Chiesa doesn’t think that fight is a possability. Speaking to Submission Radio recently, Chiesa responded to Maia’s call out. He said that he doesn’t think the bout will match-up with his desired schedule. Maia mentinoed wanting to return to the Octagon in May to fight in front of his native crowd in Curitiba, Brazil. Those plans don’t work for “Maverick”:

“That’s cool, it’s flattering coming from Demian, I just don’t think I fit in his timeline,” Chiesa said. “I don’t see May in Curitiba fitting into my schedule.

“We already got an opponent in mind, I can’t really say too much, but I think UFC is really looking to go a different direction with me and this certain guy. Thank you, Demian, I’m a big fan of the guy, but I just don’t see it in the foreseeable future.”

Chiesa made a successful welterweight debut at UFC 232 in December. He locked in a kimura on former interim 170-pound champion Carlos Condit for the victory. Now back in the win column after making the jump to 170 pounds, Chiesa’s career will certainly be interesting to watch progress after leaving the talent-stacked lightweight division.