The most violent fighter in the UFC may be Eddie Alvarez, but old rival Michael Chander tells us he’s the most violent man in MMA — and it’s hard to argue against him.
Michael Chandler is at a turning point in his career. At 31, he heads into Bellator 192 on Saturday against Goiti Yamauchi still in his prime. Promotion chief Scott Coker is pushing for a title shot for the winner of the bout. Yet Chandler tells us that title shots aren’t the only thing on his mind.
First up, when it comes to Yamauchi, and the rematch against lightweight champion Brent Primus that never materialized, Chandler made things clear: it’s not about contracts, or anything else. “I took this fight becuase other people wouldn’t take the fight, other people are part-time fighters” he said. “I’m a real fighter, Yamauchi is a real fighter. So we’re taking a fight, we’re going to step into a cage, and we’re going to see who’s the tougher man.”
Chandler has long been one of Bellator’s brightest stars. Which means the question of “what if” is often on the tip of fan’s tongues. What if he went over to the competition. What if he tested the free agent waters? For Michael Chandler, family man, it’s all about smart business decisions for himself and his loved ones. “I have been and will continue to be the greatest star with the greatest amount of potential in this organization, or any organization for that matter as far as I’m concerned” he told us. “With the right promotion behind me, there’s not a man that can stop me, there’s no limit to how big my brand can grow. I’ve always thought that. I’ve always made good business decisions, I’ve always made the best decision for myself. And now I have a son, I have my wife. These decisions need to be made, calculated, but for me, it’s who’s going to take care of me the best.”
As he’s grown older, the former Bellator lightweight champ has come to realize that “you’re only as good as your last performance. And as soon as you take off those gloves for the last time, you take that mouthpiece out for the last time, the fans slowly start to forget about you.” It’s an unfortunate part of the sport, and there’s some truth to it to be sure. “It only takes a short amount of time for you to pretty much be forgotten about. And the only thing that’s going to matter is what did you do with the talents that you were given, how much money did you make to be able to support your family, and did you make the best decisions you possibly could? That’s where I’m at, at 31 years old, I feel like I’m still in my prime, I still have a lot of upside left.”
Eddie has definitely solidified himself as the most violent man in the UFC, but I’m the most violent man in MMA
With that having been said, Chandler is satisfied with how Bellator have treated him. “I’m extremely happy with where my career is, I’m extremely happy here at Bellator, I’m extremely happy with how I’m getting compensated, how I’m being promoted…”
Much of who Chandler is today goes back to his classic wars with Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez, who would move on to the UFC and win the lightweight title there before dropping the belt to Conor McGregor, was recently awarded the unofficial title of “Most Violent Man in the UFC” with his win over Justin Gaethje. Bellator’s Chandler, however, feels he trumps that, and is open to a third fight down the road.
“Eddie has definitely solidified himself as the most violent man in the UFC, but I’m the most violent man in MMA,” Chandler said, “as I’ve proven twice against him, with two dominant, in my mind, victories over him.”
“I’d love for that third fight to happen” he continued. “He’s teased that he’s not afraid to come back here, I’ve obviously teased that I’m not afraid to do what’s best for my family, no matter what, whether it’s here, whether it’s somewhere else.” The thought of that bout is simply tantalizing.
First up, however, is Goiti Yamauchi, who Chandler envisions finishing off with a second round TKO. “We’ll see how long he can hang. I pray to god he can hang. I pray to god he is who I think he is, I pray to god he’s the fighter that I think he is.”
Michael Chandler faces Goiti Yamauchi as part of Bellator 192’s main card, airing on The Paramount Network (formerly Spike). The card goes down Saturday, January 20 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. Check out our full chat with him in the video above!
