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Michael Chiesa is ready to swim in the deep waters of the UFC lightweight division.

Chiesa has made steady progress up the divisional ladder at 155 pounds since winning season 15 of "The Ultimate Fighter." And while the hard-nosed grappler has faced a few setbacks during his time competing inside the Octagon, his current three-fight winning streak has been nothing short of impressive.

He’s not only defeated a collection of tough competitors during this run, but finished each of those fights in definitive fashion. In doing so, Chiesa believes he’s grabbed the attention of the divisional elite.

“I’m not here to be mediocre,” Chiesa said. “I’m here to fight the best. People always find a way to criticize and not give you your due in this sport, but I’m making that harder and harder for them to do. I think the guys at the top of the division know I’m coming their way.”

Chiesa’s profile elevated when he submitted Jim Miller at Fight Night 80 last December, but it was his most recent victory that stamped his passage to the next level. The Colorado native rallied back from a slow opening round to submit highly touted prospect Beneil Dariush in the second round of their tilt at UFC on Fox 19 in Tampa, Florida.

Dariush carried a five-fight winning streak into the bout and was figured by many to become the next major player in the hunt for the 155-pound title. But Chiesa had plans of his own, and was confident he would emerge from the bout victorious.

“This was a matchup of two top prospects and you don’t really see that too often in this sport,” Chiesa said. “I knew it was not only important for me to win, but it would be big for me to finish him. To get respect in this sport, you have to beat guys on their way up, so to get a win over a guy with the buzz Beneil carried and beat a guy from the camp he’s from was huge.”

Chiesa was sure the tide would change once he got ahold of Dariush in the cage, and that’s precisely what led to the 28-year-old's rear-naked choke that ended the fight.

“Beneil is a hell of a fighter, and I needed to be ready to go 15 minutes,” Chiesa said. “The first round didn’t go according to plan, but I get better as the fight goes on. I had to believe in my training, stay away from old habits and capitalize when the time was right. That’s exactly what I did and I got the job done.”

Immediately following his victory at UFC on FOX 19, Chiesa took hold of his moment in the spotlight by calling out Tony Ferguson in his post-fight interview. Where so many fighters fail to capitalize on the brief window of attention, Chiesa made it count.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Chiesa said. “You work for that moment when you get to jump up on the cage, tell your mom you love her and point to your friends and fans. It’s also the moment where your voice is the loudest. You can say whatever want on social media, but when there are two million people watching FOX, that is the time to stake your claim. If there is something you want, that is the time to say it.”

Ferguson was initially slated to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event in Tampa, but an injury ultimately forced him off the card. Nevertheless, Ferguson has become a hot commodity over the course of his seven-fight winning streak, and Chiesa believes their respective styles would guarantee excitement for fight fans.

“I didn’t call out Tony Ferguson because I think he’s the weakest link for me to get to the top,” Chiesa said. “I’m looking to fight the best guys because they’ll bring out the best I have to offer. I think Ferguson is the guy who can bring that out of me and we could put on a wonderful fight for people to watch.”

The upper tier of the lightweight division may be filled with recognizable stars and perennial contenders, but Chiesa believes he’s earned the right to test himself against the best the weight class has to offer. He's harbored championship dreams since his early days on the wrestling mats, and sees the Octagon as the place those ambitions will be fulfilled.

Chiesa knows the only way to bring his hunt for a title to fruition is to square off with the biggest names in the lightweight division, and he couldn’t be more excited for the challenges ahead.

“Wrestling has always been huge for me and I was a diehard in the sport growing up,” Chiesa said. “I loved it with every ounce of my being and worked my ass off, but I never even won a tournament. I never got first place. That being said, my whole entire life I’ve always had this dying urge to be a champion. I always thought it would come in wrestling, but this is where it’s going to happen. I know I’ve found it and I’m going to be a world champion in the UFC.”