Michael Chiesa is chomping at the bit to make his long-awaited return to action after a back injury bounced him from scheduled showdown against Tony Ferguson last summer.
And he isn’t looking for an easy out.
During a recent Q&A session this past Saturday in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada prior to UFC Fight Night 105 weigh-ins, "Maverick" called out former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez.
"Eddie lost the title to Conor (McGregor), but it’s a fight that makes sense," said Chiesa via MMA Junkie. "Eddie’s a tough guy, former champion in other promotions, but he’s had his time. I think it’s mine."
Alvarez hasn’t stepped into the cage since losing his 155-pound strap to Conor McGregor at UFC 205 last November. And though he was rumored to take on Nate Diaz later this year, nothing has been made official.
If it were up to Cheisa, Alvarez would stop sitting around doing nothing and take him up on his challenge.
"He says he wants to sit around and see what happens (at UFC 209) on March 4, but why don’t you fight somebody? Don’t just sit around and wait for it," Chiesa said. "If he’s man enough to step up to the challenge, there’s a big bearded guy in the Northwest waiting to get into a 15-minute fist fight with him. Let’s see if he takes the bait."
Chiesa is currently riding a three-fight win streak, but hasn’t competed since April of 2016 when he defeated Beneil Darisuh at UFC on FOX 19.
Anyone feeling a potential matchup between Chiesa and Alvarez?