TOKYO – Contrary to popular opinion on fighting and aging, Michael Chandler thinks as he gets older, he’s getting better.
A 33-year-old former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, Chandler (19-5 MMA, 16-5 BMMA), who meets Sidney Outlaw on Saturday (Sunday locally) at Bellator 237, disagrees with the notion that combat sports favor the young.
“It’s crazy that people throw around the term, it’s a young man’s sport all the time and I truly don’t think that,” Chandler told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Friday. “I think it’s a young man’s sport because we take so much damage traditionally, most people take so much damage and by the time you’re 30, you’ve already put so many rounds in the gym, you’ve already put so much into the wars you’ve had in the cage, that by the time you hit 30, the chin might be starting to widdle away maybe but I mean look at the average age of these champions.”
Chandler regained his lightweight title at the age of 32, but lost it right away in his last outing, when he suffered a first-round TKO to Patricio Freire at Bellator 221.
Many fighters have won championships in the latter years of their careers: UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, Bellator double champ Ryan Bader, and Bellator middleweight champ Rafael Lovato Jr, are all above age 35.
“The average age of a champion these days, I saw it on — I think one of you guys might have put it out…that the average age of a champion is 32-34,” Chandler said. “I mean it’s crazy because I think this sport is an older man’s sport. Not old man in the sense that once you hit 40, it’s a little bit harder but I think you don’t truly become a man in this sport until you hit 30 with that perfect mix of experience, as well as physical prowess, being able to be as strong and have great cardio and also just having more control over your mind.”
Michael Chandler disagrees with notion that fighting is a young man's sport
