Macy Chiasson Believes Extended Layoff Was Key for Growth as a Fighter

A little bit of adversity and uncertainty helped Macy Chiasson get to her current position as one of the top contenders in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.

Chiasson secured her second victory of 2024 on Saturday, when she earned a doctor stoppage vwin over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 303 . The current level of activity is a welcome change after she didn’t compete at all the previous year, but “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner believes that extended layoff was necessary for her overall progression.

“I had a year and a half off, but I didn’t stop training,” Chiasson said in a backstage interview with the UFC on Saturday. “I didn’t know when I was gonna fight again, if I was gonna fight again. I think that changed me because I didn’t have an end goal. I just kind of trained day in and day out without any clue of what was next. That’s something I feel like I needed and it helped me grow.”

While the conclusion of her fight with Bueno Silva wasn’t completely satisfying, the elbow Chiasson landed from top position opened a significant gash on her opponent’s forehead. Though the Brazilian wanted to continue, it was determined that the bout should be halted at the 1:58 mark of Round 2.

“It feels good to leave the cage [on Saturday] with a win, but not quite the way I wanted to. It was an awesome elbow, but no one wants to get out of a fight not feeling fulfilled completely,” Chiasson said. “I wish we could have done a little bit more. The ref did a good job by stopping it, and I think it was appropriate.”

Even though the bout ended earlier than expected, Chiasson came away relatively pleased with her overall performance.

“I think I did pretty good [at] a little bit of everything,” the Fortis MMA product said. “I consider myself a mixed martial artist to the core. And I study every single martial art there is — striking, ground and wrestling. I work with the best of the best. My coaches are the best in the world. I put all my faith and belief in them and I train with them every single day. I just work on getting my craft all the way around better.”

By besting a former No. 1 contender, Chiasson inserted herself in the midst of the bantamweight title discussion. The 32-year-old already has some history with current champion Raquel Pennington , as she suffered a second-round submission defeat to “Rocky” in December 2021. As it stands, Chiasson has nothing but respect for her former foe.

“I fought Raquel years ago. I was a different person then. We both were. We’ve both grown,” Chiasson said. “I like Raquel a lot. I think she’s an awesome champ. I think she’s an awesome person. It would be an honor to fight her.”