Michael Chiesa’s 2024 Callout of Colby Covington
Michael Chiesa used his return to the win column in Abu Dhabi to revive a regional rivalry with Colby Covington. After submitting Tony Ferguson on August 3, 2024, the Washington welterweight said he wanted to establish who was the best fighter from the Pacific Northwest. His challenge was a proposed matchup, rather than an announced booking.
A submission win restores momentum
Chiesa defeated Ferguson with a rear-naked choke at 3:44 of the opening round at Etihad Arena. The finish ended Chiesa’s three-fight losing streak and gave him a meaningful result after a difficult stretch. It also demonstrated the back-taking and submission skills that have long been central to his game.
The setting mattered to the tone of the evening. Ferguson was dealing with another defeat and questions about the end of his own UFC career. Chiesa allowed him room for his post-fight remarks, then developed his own matchmaking request in subsequent interviews. The callout therefore followed a competitive breakthrough without becoming the only story of the bout.
Why Covington was the target
Chiesa tied the challenge to their regional backgrounds: he represents Spokane, Washington, while Covington grew up in Springfield, Oregon. Chiesa emphasized that he wanted to settle that regional question, saying the appeal went beyond pursuing Covington’s place in the rankings.
At the time, Covington had last fought in December 2023, losing a welterweight championship decision to Leon Edwards at UFC 296. Chiesa challenged him to return to competition. Those circumstances explain the callout’s timing: one fighter had just won, while the other remained a recognizable opponent with a championship-contender résumé.
Chiesa had already built his own long UFC history. He won The Ultimate Fighter’s live season in 2012 by submitting Al Iaquinta, initially competing at lightweight before establishing himself at welterweight. His wrestling background and submission game made a meeting with another accomplished grappler an interesting stylistic possibility.
How the proposed matchup might work
A tactical reading of the pairing would start with positional control. Chiesa’s opportunity would be to turn a takedown or scramble into back control and a submission threat. Covington’s established approach has emphasized pace, wrestling pressure, and repeated exchanges that force an opponent to keep working.
That creates several questions worth watching in any hypothetical meeting: who could hold the preferred position, who could recover after a failed takedown, and whether sustained pressure would create openings for Chiesa’s submissions. These are matchup considerations, rather than predictions of a result.
The August interview gave Chiesa a clear next-opponent preference and a regional theme that fans could immediately understand. A public challenge alone, however, did not settle a date, venue, or contract. The confirmed accomplishment that weekend was his first-round victory over Ferguson; the Covington fight remained the next contest he wanted.
Sources
- Sherdog: Chiesa’s August 2024 post-fight callout
- UFC: Michael Chiesa profile and fight history
- Chiesa’s post-fight interview
Tags
MMA, Combat Sports
