UFC News: Former Ultimate Fighter winner to return in December 

What's the story?

It's been a roller-coaster ride for Michael Chiesa in the UFC. The former Lightweight has lost just two of his last seven fights and recently revealed to the press that he is pushing for a new UFC contract. He expects himself to be back in action by December.

In case you didn't know...

Michael 'Maverick' Chiesa was a part of The Ultimate Fighter 15 and ended up winning the Lightweight tournament by defeating Al Iaquinta in the finale via submission.

Including the TUF finale, Chiesa has had thirteen fights inside the Octagon, out which he has lost four and won the remaining nine.

Chiesa is a submission specialist who has six finishes via submission to his name in the UFC. However, the Colorado-born fighter's UFC stint hasn't been the smoothest of rides.

He had to pull out of a scheduled fight against Anthony Pettis at UFC 223 after he suffered injuries in a bus assault orchestrated by Conor McGregor. The Notorious One's main target was Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was traveling with fighters from the red corner, which also included Chiesa.

He did face Pettis at UFC 226 and lost the Lightweight fight after missing weight by over 1.5 pounds. He subsequently moved up to Welterweight and has looked sensational in both of his victories since the shift against Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez.

The heart of the matter

During a media scrum, Chiesa opened about signing a new UFC contract and stated that he hopes that the UFC offers him a ranked opponent from the Welterweight division.

“Definitely looking to fight in December. I want to give myself a little bit of a break. I put a lot of work into these camps. December fits into my timeline well.”

“We’re going to do a new deal, which I’m excited about. Part of that deal is that I want my next fight to be against a ranked opponent. I’m very adamant about that. When I left lightweight I ranked about No. 10 or No. 11 in the rankings. I think I deserve a ranked opponent and I know the UFC will deliver.” H/t Credit: BJPenn.com

While Chiesa once climbed up to the ninth spot in the Lightweight rankings, he is yet to break into the top 15 of the 170 lbs class as the division has a rich talent pool.

What's next?

Chiesa is coming off a comprehensive unanimous decision victory Diego Sanchez and should ideally be matched up against a ranked prospect next.