Michael Chiesa makes color commentary debut at UFC Shanghai
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Michael Chiesa will get his shot at the big time at UFC Fight Night 286 when he enters the commentary booth for the first time on an official UFC event.
Chiesa, a longtime lightweight and welterweight veteran who retired from MMA in February, has been slowly groomed for the opportunity to work color commentary. He has appeared on LFA broadcasts in the role, but also worked numerous UFC events as a desk analyst, as well as calling fights on "Road to UFC" and Dana White's Contender Series.
His work will soon be exposed to a much greater audience, however, when he works the Aug. 29 card at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China, which is headlined by a key bantamweight bout between Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong.
"I got the call last Wednesday from my boss Zach Candito that I'm going to get my shot at UFC Shanghai," Chiesa told MMA Junkie on Monday. "I was supposed to go there to commentate 'Road to UFC.' He called me and said, 'We're going to give you a chance.' So it's not like I have a contract in place. We're taking it one step at a time, but I get to do color commentator for my first official UFC event. I will be on the sticks with Brendan Fitzgerald and Dominick Cruz commentating UFC Shanghai.
"I'm super excited. I feel like the UFC has been building me up to this moment. They've given me so many opportunities starting me as an analyst and then sliding me in on some Fight Pass Invitational Shows. Now I'm doing BJJ and Contender Series. They're building me up for this moment and I feel very prepared for it and I'm very excited for it.
Chiesa, 38, had a very successful in-cage career where he headlined multiple cards and beat notable names such as Tony Ferguson, Neil Magny, Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez, Carlos Condit, Beneil Dariush, Jim Miller and more. He never achieved the ultimate heights he wanted by getting a UFC championship around his waist, but said he can revel in what the achievement of working color commentary.
"I fell short of my goal of winning a world championship and that was very hard for me to digest," Chiesa said. "There's a point in time where I said, 'If I don't win a world title, then I failed at MMA.' But as I've embarked on this journey as a broadcaster, I realize there's been over 100 UFC champs, and there's only been a handful of commentators. And for me to do color commentary. For an official UFC event, it validates my body of work and the 18 years I've put into this sport. This is my world title. I'm getting my first crack at it.
"I've been busting my ass. I feel like I've earned it and I'm excited to go show the boss what I'm capable of."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Chiesa makes color commentary debut at UFC Shanghai