Michael Chandler’s bold claim on lightweight division could antagonize rivals
Michael Chandler claims his reformed approach to fighting makes him unbeatable in the UFC’s lightweight division. The American is currently preparing for his rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. Oliveira stopped Chandler in the second round to claim the lightweight titleGetty The pair first met at UFC 262 where Chandler was moments away from finishing the Brazilian in the first round. Oliveira recovered and stopped Chandler in the second round to claim the vacant lightweight title. Since that contest, Chandler has traded wins and losses, however, at 38 time is not in his favour and change is needed now should he wish to fulfil his goal of claiming UFC gold. Speaking on the UFC Countdown show, Chandler revealed how those defeats helped him mould his new approach to fighting, one that he feels makes him unbeatable in the lightweight division. “The way I approach this fight is going to be different. When I land my punches, the follow-up shots are gonna be more calculated than wild. “When I smell a finish about to happen, I am gonna slowly continue to put pressure on instead of trying to rush. “The way it was always supposed to be. Sometimes you gotta take a loss to put yourself back up to then overcome the odds and right a wrong. And I think that’s what this is gonna be. There is not a man alive at 155lbs that can hang with me for 25 minutes if I fight composed and smart. That’s who I am now, and I’m excited to go out there and show that on November 16.” Chandler has already planned his road map to the title and believes he has the tools to beat champion, Islam Makhachev. A former Bellator champion, he first joined the promotion in January 2021 where he brutally knocked out Dan Hooker to earn himself a shot at the title. Chandler is one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC rosterGetty He fell short against Oliveira before taking part in the UFC’s 2021 Fight of the Year with Justin Gaethje, losing via unanimous decision. Chandler bounced back in 2022 by landing a devastating front-kick KO over Tony Ferguson before suffering his third defeat in Dana White’s promotion at the hands of Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. Alongside his aspirations of claiming UFC gold, Chandler also remains steadfast on facing former two-division champion Conor McGregor in the future. McGregor vs Chandler was supposed to go down in JuneGetty Speculation about the pair matching up started gaining traction following Chandler’s most recent defeat. A fight agreement materialized shortly after with the bout scheduled to headline International Fight Week at UFC 303. However, McGregor was forced to withdraw from the contest after suffering a broken toe during training. McGregor’s return date has now been pushed back once again, a fourth contest with Dustin Poirier or a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz are both options that continue to arise but it remains dependant on when the Irishman will return to action.
Michael Chandler claims his reformed approach to fighting makes him unbeatable in the UFC’s lightweight division.
The American is currently preparing for his rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.
The pair first met at UFC 262 where Chandler was moments away from finishing the Brazilian in the first round.
Oliveira recovered and stopped Chandler in the second round to claim the vacant lightweight title.
Since that contest, Chandler has traded wins and losses, however, at 38 time is not in his favour and change is needed now should he wish to fulfil his goal of claiming UFC gold.
Speaking on the UFC Countdown show, Chandler revealed how those defeats helped him mould his new approach to fighting, one that he feels makes him unbeatable in the lightweight division.
“The way I approach this fight is going to be different. When I land my punches, the follow-up shots are gonna be more calculated than wild.
“When I smell a finish about to happen, I am gonna slowly continue to put pressure on instead of trying to rush.
“The way it was always supposed to be. Sometimes you gotta take a loss to put yourself back up to then overcome the odds and right a wrong. And I think that’s what this is gonna be.
There is not a man alive at 155lbs that can hang with me for 25 minutes if I fight composed and smart. That’s who I am now, and I’m excited to go out there and show that on November 16.”
Chandler has already planned his road map to the title and believes he has the tools to beat champion, Islam Makhachev.
A former Bellator champion, he first joined the promotion in January 2021 where he brutally knocked out Dan Hooker to earn himself a shot at the title.
He fell short against Oliveira before taking part in the UFC’s 2021 Fight of the Year with Justin Gaethje, losing via unanimous decision.
Chandler bounced back in 2022 by landing a devastating front-kick KO over Tony Ferguson before suffering his third defeat in Dana White’s promotion at the hands of Dustin Poirier at UFC 281.
Alongside his aspirations of claiming UFC gold, Chandler also remains steadfast on facing former two-division champion Conor McGregor in the future.
Speculation about the pair matching up started gaining traction following Chandler’s most recent defeat.
A fight agreement materialized shortly after with the bout scheduled to headline International Fight Week at UFC 303. However, McGregor was forced to withdraw from the contest after suffering a broken toe during training.
McGregor’s return date has now been pushed back once again, a fourth contest with Dustin Poirier or a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz are both options that continue to arise but it remains dependant on when the Irishman will return to action.
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