Michael Chiesa celebrated his birthday in style.
The veteran welterweight turned 37 on Saturday and he couldn’t have received a better gift than the one he got for himself at UFC 310. Facing Max Griffin, Chiesa (18-7) showcased his trademark grappling for two rounds before finishing Griffin with a rear-naked choke early in Round 3.
See Chiesa’s latest submission finish below.
Michael Chiesa picks up a submission win on his birthday! #UFC310 | LIVE NOW | ESPN+ https://t.co/XX1YuUOYuv pic.twitter.com/AVWiEUcSvb
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 8, 2024
The official time of the stoppage was 1:56 into the third round.
Griffin struggled to deal with Chiesa’s wrestling for the majority of the contest. Though Griffin had his moments on the feet, Chiesa always found a way to take the fight where he wanted it to go and it looked as though Griffin was down on the cards after the first 10 minutes. A comeback finish wasn’t to come for Griffin as Chiesa went right back to his grappling to secure the win.
It was the seventh rear-naked choke win of Chiesa’s UFC career, putting him into a tie with Kenny Florian and trailing only Demian Maia (9) for the most in promotional history.
In his post-fight interview, Chiesa dedicated the win to Derek Thompson, a beloved member of the UFC broadcast team that died this past November.
He also said he’d like to fight on Feb. 22 at the UFC Seattle event, which was officially announced during the UFC 310 broadcast.
