Michael Chandler Dislocated Finger Minutes Before UFC 274 Knockout

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler was at a bit of a disadvantage just minutes before making the walkout for his fight at UFC 274.

Chandler finished former interim champion Tony Ferguson with a vicious head kick in Round 2. He earned a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus after arguably one of the most brutal knockouts in UFC history.

But as he was in the back warming up for his fight, Chandler suffered a nasty finger injury during a routine drill.

During a recent interview with The Pat McAfee Show, Chandler revealed what happened just before his UFC 274 knockout of Ferguson.

“I dislocated my [ring] finger about 20-30 minutes before the fight, blocking a kick,” Chandler said. “My buddy Marquez, great training partner of mine, he was throwing kicks. I had this great idea. Warmup was already done, I’m going out in about 10-20 minutes, and I go, ‘Hey, throw some high kicks at me and I’ll block them and go body shot.’ And he threw a normal kick like he’s done 1,000 times at me and I ended up going fingernail all the way back, bent it all the way back.”

Chandler went on to dismiss the idea that he considered pulling out of the fight.

“At this point, we keep the adrenaline going, I said ‘this ain’t a hand, it’s a hammer. We gotta go.’”

Despite Chandler’s injury, he’s open to a quick turnaround to the Octagon later this year. He called out Conor McGregor in his post-fight interview and also seems open to a welterweight bout against Nate Diaz.

Chandler has emerged as one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC, and his toughness can’t be questioned after the injury he suffered just before his ‘Knockout of the Year’ candidate.

Is Michael Chandler’s knockout the best you’ve ever seen?

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