Chandler talks ‘career death sentence’: “688 days without winning a fight”

Michael Chandler is a former Bellator champion. Photo: Troy Taormina – USA TODAY Sports

Since his move from joining the UFC back in 2021, lightweight fan favorite Michael Chandler has faced many difficulties. After defeating Dan Hooker with a blistering performance he is 1-3 with his last win coming against Tony Ferguson on May 7, 2022.

“I went 688 days without winning a fight, almost two full years without winning a fight. For a mixed martial artist, this could be a career death sentence. That’s when the doubt from everybody plus yourself continues to compound on itself,” Chandler said about the almost two years without a victory.

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Michael Chandler didn’t build his mind

After losing against Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, the physically strong former Bellator champion realised that he needed to work more on his mind than his body.

“I really started realizing I can do all the reps and all the sets and all the push-ups and all the lifts and all the sparring and all the sessions. I can do all the physical stuff, but if I’m not building up the mind, I’m really just making a bigger, faster, stronger more dangerous subpar version of the man that I’m supposed to be if I don’t start doing the work inside my mind.”

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