LAS VEGAS – Michael Chiesa couldn’t contain himself when Julianna Pena did the unthinkable.
Peña (11-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) scored one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when she submitted the consensus greatest female fighter Amanda Nunes to capture the bantamweight title Saturday at UFC 269.
Chiesa, who was front row to support his longtime teammate, jumped over the railing and took a tumble when rushing to celebrate Peña’s win, apparently injuring himself in the process.
ABSOLUTE CHAOS AND FANFARE AFTER PEÑA WON 😱 #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/e0dNAdKBkn
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 12, 2021
In the UFC 269 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White detailed what happened to Chiesa in the aftermath, adding that he had to be escorted out of the arena.
“How do I say this without embarrassing this guy?” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, following the event. “He had a little bit too much to drink this evening. When she won, he freaked out and tried to jump into the octagon and fell down on his face, cut his eye and busted his eye open, then was arguing with the police that he needed to get into the octagon and be with her because that’s his teammate. They dragged him out, got him outside and calmed him down in the back, and I went back and talked to him for a minute, and we’re all good.”
Chiesa did end up getting to congratulate his teammate backstage, bursting into tears while greeting Pena with a long embrace.
“I have always believed it was written in the stars for one of us to become world champion. For 14 years we’ve been running down this dream.
@venezuelanvixen did it, she fulfilled that dream we both share. Julianna Peña is the UFC bantamweight champion of the world. I love you to the moon and back VV, I’m so proud of you!”
