Chiesa after submission loss: 'Embarrassed is an understatement'

Michael Chiesa isn't making excuses after suffering a first-round submission defeat to Vicente Luque at UFC 265.

"I want to jump out in front of this now," Chiesa wrote in a statement Sunday morning on Twitter. "First and most importantly, congrats to (Luque), he's a stone-cold killer and a class act.

"To say I'm embarrassed is an understatement," he continued. "Physically, I was in the best shape of my life. Mentally, I was battling myself every single day. I put too much pressure on myself this fight and I cracked."

The prevailing wisdom heading into Saturday's pivotal welterweight bout was that Chiesa held the advantage on the ground. However, Luque ended up tapping him out with a D'arce choke after escaping a rear-naked choke attempt late in the opening frame.

Chiesa and Luque entered as the No. 5- and No. 6-ranked welterweights, respectively. Afterward, UFC president Dana White said he thought Luque came into the title picture with the victory, and the Brazilian called out champion Kamaru Usman.

Chiesa dropped to 4-1 as a welterweight, but the 33-year-old said he'll return to contention in the foreseeable future.

"Historically throughout my career, every time I have faced adversity and came up short, I've turned around and grown tremendously," Chiesa wrote. "A couple more wins and I'll be back in the mix. The goal remains the same, my belief is still just as strong and I love every single person that supports me so much that it hurts."