Michael Chiesa claims that the UFC 287 match was made hopeless due to problems with visas and weight cuts.
Li Jingliang, a Chinese champion who was initially supposed to fight Chiesa, was unable to compete due to a spine injury that may even require surgery. The UFC allegedly tried to find a last-minute replacement for the April 8 event while Chiesa was left without a challenger.Chiesa, however, declared last night that the fight has now been formally called off due to a number of challenges. Although ‘Maverick’ avoided naming names, he says that potential replacement fighters ran into problems with weight loss and visas.Chiesa added that the UFC had other plans for “Hybrid,” but that crowd favourite Niko Price was likely set to go. On The MMA Hour, “Maverick” stated:
Since there were visa issues and some people couldn’t make weight, I won’t mention the identities of the guys who were offered but declined. I’m not the kind of person to publicly announce that “So-and-so turned it down.” At 170 pounds, I’m tough to beat for anyone, particularly if you only have a few weeks to train.Added him:
“I want to give Niko Price his flowers because he fought valiantly to get the fight. Although he was prepared to enter, I believe the UFC had other intentions for him.
Kevin Lee has accused Michael Chiesa of ducking him for UFC 287
Michael Chiesa is currently on a two-fight losing streak and hasn’t competed since November 2021 due to his dedication to his responsibilities as a UFC analyst. While “Maverick” will undoubtedly be disappointed that his rematch was cancelled, he reportedly turned down a last-minute replacement.
Kevin Lee, who defeated Chiesa via submit, appeared to volunteer to take over.
Lee, who recently joined the UFC again, claims that Chiesa rejected him for the role of Li Jingliang’s substitute at UFC 287. Recently, ‘The MoTown Phenom’ posted on Instagram:
“I received a call a week ago stating that the opponent of Mike Chiesa withdrew due to injury from next week’s #UFC287 in Miami. I quickly agreed to the battle, and I’m prepared. However, I learned today that Chiesa declined to fight us again. I didn’t want to put on a show for the world because I didn’t really care about money, rankings, or popularity competitions anymore. It appears that I will have to observe from the audience alongside everyone else.