‘Channeling my inner John Stockton:’ Spokane’s Michael Chiesa to make comeback against Kevin Holland at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City

Despite a setback in April resulting in a called-off fight, Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Michael Chiesa (18-6) is finally making his long-anticipated return to the cage on Saturday.

Chiesa was slated to fight Li Jingliang (19-8) in April at UFC 287, but a couple of weeks before the fight Jingliang suffered a spinal injury and had to pull out.

With no fighter to enter as a replacement, Chiesa was out of a match.

“That was a really kind of a hard thing to go through just being gone for so long,” Chiesa said.

Chiesa last stepped foot in a competitive UFC cage in November 2021. His match ended in a loss via unanimous decision against Sean Brady (15-1). He was forced to sit out the next two years after a weightlifting accident caused him a back injury.

Now, in his return to the octagon, Chiesa is ready to strap on his gloves to face high-caliber opponent Kevin Holland (24-9) on the main card of UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.

“This (fight) has ‘exciting’ written all over it,” Chiesa’s coach Rick Little said.

Similar to his last fight camp, Chiesa brought a few of his Spokane teammates to Las Vegas to train with him before his fight – namely Brady Hiestand (8-2) and Ashton Charlton (6-1) who both have upcoming fights in August.

“It’s good for all of us,” Chiesa said. “You know, a lot of different bodies, a lot of different looks.”

An added “wrinkle” to his training camp, Chiesa has been preparing for the 4,000-foot elevation in Salt Lake City by “training low” and “living high” in altitude.

“If there’s something that needs to be addressed in a training camp, I’m not wanting to take it lightly,” Chiesa, a Shadle Park High graduate said. “I’ve done all the right things for this fight.”

Chiesa has been keeping his eyes on Holland – even while the “Trailblazer” fought at middleweight.

“I knew he was undersized for the weight class. I knew at some point (he would) come down to 170,” Chiesa said. “I want to (fight) against the best possible opponent I could possibly face. And while Kevin may not have that (welterweight ranking) number next to his name, he has one heck of a resume.”

Holland joined the UFC as a middleweight at 185 pounds and over his professional career boasts wins against Geoff Neal, Joaquin Buckley and Ronaldo Souza. He has won Performance of the Night five times and in 2020 tied the record for the most fight wins in a calendar year with five.

Holland’s resume does not intimidate Chiesa.

“I’m just as good as he is,” Chiesa said. “I love fighting. I went on the Ultimate Fighter and won five fights in 13 weeks. Three of those were in a four-week span. I’m as game as he is.”

Holland has the physical height and reach advantage over Chiesa. He’s 6-foot-3 with an 81-inch reach compared to Chiesa’s 6-1 and 75½-inch reach, but Chiesa dominates when it gets to the ground. He has a 61% submission win rate and 39% decision win rate. Holland has a 25% submission win rate and a 17% decision win rate. The majority (58%) of Holland’s wins have come by knockout.

“Holland’s a very fast guy, probably the fastest in the division, so he’s probably not going to be the easiest to grab,” Little said. “I assume there’s going to be more stand up in this fight for (Chiesa) than you’ve seen in all his previous fights.”

Little said a win Saturday will show that Chiesa is “elite.”

“I feel more comfortable fighting a guy that’s really, really good,” Chiesa said. “This is a fight where I’m the underdog and I like being in that underdog role when you’re expected to lose.

“It takes a little bit of the pressure off.”

Despite the odds stacked against him, Chiesa is looking forward to scrapping in Utah.

“Spokane’s finest has had a lot of success in Salt Lake City,” he said, specifically mentioning former NBA Utah Jazz player John Stockton. “Don’t be surprised to see me rocking a No. 12 Utah Jazz Jersey all fight week … just channeling my inner John Stockton.”

Chiesa will be opening the main card for UFC 291 at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The pay-per-view can be purchased from ESPN.