21-Fight UFC Veteran Riding 3-Straight Wins Set to Retire After UFC Seattle Fight

Longtime UFC veteran and former The Ultimate Fighter winner Michael Chiesa has confirmed that his next fight will be his last trip to the Octagon.

Following three-straight events to kick off 2026, the UFC took a week off before embarking on what will be at least a nine-week stretch of consecutive events that includes the promotion’s return to Seattle, WA on March 28.

UFC Seattle features a headlining bout between two-time UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and Joe Pyfer, and the event’s main card will also see Chiesa step into the cage to try and secure a fourth-straight win against Carlston Harris.

Michael Chiesa Reveals Retirement Plan For UFC Seattle

Speaking this week on the Anik & Florian Podcast, Chiesa revealed that he’ll officially retire from fighting following his UFC Seattle matchup with Harris.

“Yeah, this is my last fight," Chiesa confirmed. "I’ve been kind of on the fence about it. It’s hard…It’s a hard decision to make, because it’s what I’ve done. I had my first fight when I was 20 years old in 2008. All good things come to an end. I wanted to fight out this contract – I just signed a new deal before the Court McGee fight – and that was my plan…But, when they said they were going back to Seattle, and it’s my 22nd UFC fight. 22 is my number, March 28 is on my parents’ anniversary - it’s like the universe is telling me something.”

Michael Chiesa (red gloves) fights Court McGee (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Chiesa will have the rare opportunity to close out his fighting career on a win streak at UFC Seattle. The 38-year-old enters the event just one victory shy of matching the best run of his UFC career, which came between late 2018 and early 2021 when he defeated former interim UFC titleholder Carlos Condit, UFC Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez, former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos, and perennial top welterweight contender Neil Magny.

"Maverick" Won Season 15 Of The Ultimate Fighter

Boasting a 5-0 record with four first-round submissions, Chiesa joined the lightweight cast of The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 in 2012 and went on to win the show with a first-round rear naked choke against Al Iaquinta.

“Maverick” also submitted Anton Kuivanen at UFC 157 before suffering his first career loss against future UFC title challenger Jorge Masvidal later that year. Chiesa collected four post-fight bonuses over his next eight lightweight fights before moving up to welterweight in 2018, where he put together the aforementioned four-fight win streak that stands as the best run of his UFC career.

Michael Chiesa (blue gloves) and Rafael Dos Anjos (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at PNC Arena. | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

The 38-year-old lost three bouts in a row before rebounding with his current three-fight win streak. Harris will be eager to spoil Chiesa’s retirement fight at UFC Seattle, as “Moçambique” is coming off back-to-back stoppage-losses and is 4-3 overall since joining the UFC in 2021.

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