Through some adversity and uncertainty, Macy Chiasson has worked her way up to her current position as one of the top contenders in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.
Chiasson earned her second win of 2024 on Saturday with a doctor’s stoppage victory over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 303. Her current level of activity is a welcome change after not fighting at all last year, but “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner believes the extended break was necessary for her overall development.
“I took a year and a half off, but I never stopped training,” Chiasson said in an interview backstage at UFC on Saturday. “I didn’t know when I was going to fight again, or even if I was going to fight again. I think not having an end goal changed me. I just trained every day, every day, not really knowing what I was going to do next. I think that’s what I needed and it helped me grow.”
Although the ending of the bout against Bueno Silva was not entirely satisfactory – an elbow from Chiasson from top position left a large cut on his opponent’s forehead – the decision was made to stop the bout at 1 minute 58 seconds into the second round, despite the Brazilian’s desire to continue.
“It feels good to get out of the cage [on Saturday] “I got the win but it wasn’t quite how I wanted it to be. It was a great elbow but nobody wants to come out of the fight not being completely satisfied,” Chiasson said. “I wish I could have gone a little bit further. I think the refs did a good job stopping it and it was appropriate.”
Although the match ended earlier than expected, Chiasson was relatively pleased with his overall performance.
“I think I did pretty well. [at] “I do a little bit of everything,” the Fortis MMA alum said, “I consider myself a mixed martial artist through and through, and I study all combat arts: striking, ground fighting, wrestling. I train with the best of the best. My coaches are the best in the world, I have complete confidence in them, and I train with them every day. I’m just trying to get better at every aspect of my craft.”
The win over the former No. 1 contender has thrust Chiasson into the bantamweight title race. The 32-year-old has already faced current champion Raquel Pennington, losing by second-round submission to “Rocky” Pennington in December 2021. As it stands, Chiasson has nothing but respect for her former rival.
“I fought Raquel many years ago. I was a different person then. We were both different people. We both grew,” Chiasson said. “I love Raquel. I think she’s a great champion. I think she’s a great person. It would be an honor to fight her.”
