Michael Chandler knows the day will come.
He’ll place his gloves in the center of the cage, give his farewell speech to the camera, and walk out of sight – into the bowels of whatever arena he’s in at the time.
A great career will be in the books. Drenched in sweat and feeling a mix of bittersweet emotions, Chandler will make eye contact with the man staring at him in the mirror.
“(I’ll) say, ‘Michael, did you do everything that you possibly could with the talents you were given?’ I just hope (I) can answer truthfully and honestly and without regret.” Chandler recently said in an interview with MMA Junkie, envisioning what that moment will be like.
Many chapters have already been written in the ongoing tale of Michael Chandler. When the Bellator brass of yesteryear signed Chandler as a 3-0 pro in mid-2010, it’s safe to say they didn’t know what they were in for. Chandler fought for Bellator from 2010 to 2020 and provided a whole decade’s worth of memorable moments.
His journey began on the prelims in the Bellator lightweight tournament, which he’d go on to win in 2011. Chandler made the most of the title shot earned in that tournament when he submitted the lightweight king, Eddie Alvarez, at Bellator 58.
The two fighters rematched two years later at Bellator 106. But not only did they rematch, they put on one of the greatest fights in MMA history. It was excellent counter-programming for the promotion, which was going up against the UFC’s Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua, another all-time classic.
Bloody and exhausted, Chandler lost that rematch – a debated split decision after a five-round brawl. Regardless of the outcome, his contribution as one-half of the timeless, all-out slugfest will never be forgotten.
When he returned and suffered two back-to-back defeats to a then-relatively unknown in Will Brooks, Chandler persevered and came back. Comebacks would be a theme that would carry on throughout his career.
A streak of wins carried him to another Bellator title, which he earned with a first-round knockout of Patricky Freire. The violent image of Freire’s stiff body smacking the canvas from one singular punch will always be paired with Chandler leaping up on the fence, where he signaled a throat-slash to Patricio Freire who watched, feet away, outside the cage.
At Bellator’s first Madison Square Garden event in 2018, Chandler lost his belt again – this time in bizarre fashion to Brent Primus. When a kick went awry, the nerves in his leg gave out, which made for some oddly grotesque slow-motion replays. Debilitated, Chandler continued to fight on – with one working leg until the doctor called it off in between rounds when Chandler missed the stool and clattered to the canvas.
Yet again, Chandler would storm back. Three wins later, he was champ again. The title-clincher came against a fired-up Primus in a dominant unanimous decision.
Chandler would lose his belt a third time, and it was the most devastating: a 61-second knockout to Patricio Freire, who came back to avenge the loss his brother Patricky had suffered.
Still, Chandler pushed forward. He capped off his Bellator career with two first-round knockouts against relative newcomer Sidney Outlaw, which some expected, and more shockingly former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson – an emphatic exclamation point before free agency.
The legacy he left behind in Bellator was unprecedented. Most might even call it legendary, a three-time champion with three title defenses, tied for first place in all-time Bellator appearances and all-time wins.
“He’s had some of the most amazing battles in the history of Bellator,” Scott Coker told MMA Junkie. “… Michael and I talked about this. We said one day he’ll come back, and we’ll hang (his) poster up on the rafters, and maybe (he’ll) be the first person inducted into the Bellator Hall of Fame.”
Michael Chandler at Bellator 243. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)
One of the main faces of Bellator is a UFC fighter now – and he’s on the verge of making his debut in a big-time fight Saturday with Dan Hooker as the UFC 257 co-main event. A new chapter begins in Abu Dhabi.
Chandler finally made the jump he’s been hounded about for years. It’s the move that many fantastical MMA debates revolved around – and it’s already played out differently than other accomplished Bellator fights who made the jump to the UFC.
Chandler’s old pal Alvarez entered the UFC in 2013 following a legal battle. He was matched with Donald Cerrone, a fighter three wins away from a title shot on the undercard of a Demetrious Johnson-headlined pay-per-view.
Then, there was Ben Askren in 2019. Askren had bridged the UFC and Bellator with a stint in ONE Championship. It might be revisionist history, but perhaps his prime faded him there. Askren was paired with Robbie Lawler – a former champion who aimed to regain his footing in the division.
Chandler, unlike the others, was slotted in as the championship backup immediately upon his signing with the UFC. If something had happened to Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October, Chandler was the guy UFC president Dana White would’ve called on. That alone should tell you something about the special kind of fighter Chandler is.
The UFC has seldom shown interest (outside of the names listed above and a few others like Hector Lombard) in pursuing champions from the competition. If the UFC is the best organization in the world, why entertain there are stars elsewhere? With Chandler, none of that seemed to matter.
Not only did the UFC sign Chandler, the brass thought highly enough of him to push him right into the title picture. He’s a unique case, who’s done it differently – his way – an alternative way.
For years, Chandler was a walking example of the sentiment that talent has to do with fighters, not promotions. And that isn’t erased now that he’s in the UFC. Chandler still echoes that sentiment today.
“It’s always been about me and myself and trying to get to the best version of myself when I step inside that cage – inside of that octagon – and to be able to provide for my family and truly get as much as I possibly can out of these talents I have, out of these talents that I was given, and out of this body that I have built,” Chandler told MMA Junkie Radio.
He’s right. Being in the second biggest MMA promotion doesn’t mean a fighter is second class. It’s a complicated issue – and there are crossroads. Fighter and promotion go hand in hand, after all. It’s a symbiotic relationship, especially pertaining to public perception.
It’s not that the talent hasn’t been there, or he hasn’t accomplished incredible things. In order to prove his abilities, silence doubters, and leave an even bigger legacy, Chandler needed to make the jump to the UFC. People need to see it, not hypothesize about it.
“Every single time that I trained for one of the guys that I stepped inside of the cage with, I wasn’t training to fight them,” Chandler said Thursday. “I was training to fight the No. 1 guy in the world. The No. 1 guy in the world has always been under the UFC banner. I was always training to beat that guy. … These are the upper echelon, the world-class guys that I’ve wanted to compete against since Day 1. Now I get that opportunity. Just gotta go out there and take care of business on Saturday night.”
The move to the UFC is an attempt at proving he’s the best in the world, yes, but it’s also a continuation. It’s a continuation of hard work, self-improvement, and Chandler’s need to maximize his potential.
Flash back to August, when Chandler sat at his final Bellator post-fight news conference. A bittersweet reflection was mixed with the feeling of an unknown future. His answers were careful, yet honest and thoughtful. One, in particular, stood out. Chandler, of his own accord, looked into the camera and sent a message to any kids that might have been listening.
“Every young kid out there right now, take a chance on yourself,” Chandler said, going on a tangent away from the question – a sign he was voicing something he felt was important. “Believe in yourself. Believe that you were designed and created and engineered for more career success than you ever, ever could think of in your wildest dreams.”
Sure, this UFC shot is about new challenges and chasing greatness, and proving something to the world.
But perhaps it’s also a continuation of what he’s always done, by living out the advice he found important, so when he has that conversation with the man in the mirror, he can answer truthfully and honestly and without regret: “Yes, I did.”
Michael Chandler’s UFC moment arrives. Will greatness continue?
