Yesterday afternoon (Sat., April 4, 2015), Michael Chiesa and Mitch Clarke engaged in a grappling duel at UFC Fight Night 63 inside the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Across three rounds, Chiesa beat down his opponent. Find out how below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweights Michael Chiesa and Mitch Clarke clashed yesterday afternoon (April 4, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 63 inside the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
While Chiesa may have faltered in a couple of his fights with veteran combatants, the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner remained a top prospect in the crowded lightweight division. Still, he needed to return to the win column in order to keep that status.
On the other hand, Clarke has been overlooked before, but entered this bout on the heels of two straight upsets wins. Against his fellow submission specialist, Clarke looked to make it three-for-three.
After a couple minutes of fairly even striking, Chiesa scored a nice takedown. Clarke quickly initiated a scramble and returned to his feet. Chiesa landed a second takedown, but Clarke was standing pretty quickly once more. This time, the two separated, and Chiesa punished his opponent with some straight punches.
For the third time in the round, Chiesa scored a takedown from the clinch. Unlike his last two takedowns, Chiesa landed directly in back mount and immediately began attacking with the rear naked choke. Clarke defended the choke attempts and a late armbar, ultimately surviving the round.
It was an excellent opening round for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner.
Chiesa continued to be very aggressive on his feet in the second, which eventually lead to a takedown in the clinch. Once more, Chiesa took his opponent's back and squeezed from the body lock. Chiesa controlled his opponent from the back for about three straight minutes, threatening with the choke and landing hard elbows to the face.
Clarke was definitely in dire need of a comeback heading into the third round.
The final frame was contested entirely on the feet, as Clarke looked to land a knockout punch. For the first time in the fight, Clarke found some decent success, rolling punches and landing some hard left hooks.
While Clarke out-landed Chiesa, "Maverick's" punches and kicks were much more powerful. Considering a finish seemed to be Clarke's only chance, that was a very bad sign. Ultimately, the third round was close and likely Clarke's, but it didn't really matter who won the round, as Chiesa was far ahead on the scorecards.
Chiesa's grappling is some of the most dangerous in the division. He is relentless with submissions from back mount, and Chiesa is very good at getting to and controlling that position. In addition, his trips were very slick, and his overall takedown game was very on point in this bout.
Still, the third round revealed Chiesa's striking issues. He gets by thanks to his athleticism and length, but he's still very raw technically. Considering the level of competition he'll soon be fighting, that's a flaw that needs attention.
While Chiesa requested a top 15 opponent, he just lost to Lauzon and has areas that need work, so that can wait. Instead, Chiesa should scrap with another up-and-comer who has a chance at stopping his takedowns, such as Paul Felder.
While Clarke's skills have clearly developed since he entered the Octagon, it's still not enough to consistently beat the upper half of the lightweight division. There's no easy solution to that; he just needs to keep growing and doing battle with fighters in the middle of the division, such as fellow main card loser Carlos Diego Ferreira.
At UFC Fight Night 63, Michael Chiesa put a thorough beating on Mitch Clarke. How high can the submission artist climb?
For complete UFC Fight Night 63 "Mendes vs Lamas" results and play-by-play, click HERE.
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