RALEIGH, N.C. — Spokane native Michael Chiesa emerged victorious in his fight against Brazil's Rafael Dos Anjos during UFC Fight Night.
The fight was held Saturday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. Chiesa defeated former champion and fifth-ranked fighter Dos Anjos in a unanimous decision, according to MMA Junkie.
Chiesa, who used to fight in the Lightweight division, moved up to Welterweight ahead of the fight. He improved to a perfect 3-0 in the division with his win on Saturday.
He released a statement on Instagram following the fight, where he thanked his family, friends, fan, teammates, coaches and training partners.
“I have a lot of gratitude for all of you who get behind me in these big moments in my life and in my career," he said.
“This was the toughest fight of my life. I knew what I was getting into," Chiesa added later.
Chiesa said he wants to fight against No. 2 Colby Covington in July and become the top contender for the championship by the end of the year.
Chiesa told KREM's Brett Allbery ahead of the fight that he felt a win would move him up to the top 15 in the UFC's Welterweight rankings, which will also move him closer to a title fight opportunity. Allbery spoke with Chiesa to talk about his change in weight class and his fight against Dos Anjos.
Chiesa trains at Spokane's Sik-Jitsu gym under trainer Rick Little. The gym and its fighters was the focus of KREM's 2018 original documentary "Fight Town," which can be watched on YouTube or Amazon Prime.
The following video is the full interview with Michael Chiesa. Mobile users, click here to watch the interview on YouTube.