The most exciting cross-over superstar in history potentially, Michael Chandler, has hit a rough patch in what was a stunning start to his UFC career.
The Bellator icon had an illustrious career with the promotion, but after accomplishing almost everything possible, he made the transition to the UFC back in 2021. Now, after almost two years with the brand, ‘Iron Mike’ is sitting with a 2-3 UFC record.
The Bellator legend made his debut against Dan Hooker and ended the fight with an insane knockout finish. He would drop two, to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, respectively. Both fights were phenomenal, as has been the story with every UFC fight Chandler has been a part of. After dropping the two losses, he secured a highlight reel front-kick knockout over Tony Ferguson.
In Michael Chandler’s last battle against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281, the two warriors put on a show, but unfortunately for Michael Chandler, he would not come out on top this time either. He suffered a third-round loss via rear-naked choke, sparking debate if Chandler is trying too hard to entertain rather than trying actually to win fights.
Matt Brown believes Michael Chandler could be Floyd Mayweather and fight smarter
Matt Brown appeared on a podcast by MMA Fighting, where he critiqued the wild intensity that Chandler fights with. “He needs to fix his strategy,” Brown said about Chandler (H/T MMA Fighting). “In my particular style, that’s just how I fight. That’s how I beat guys. I go in, I wear them out, I make it a tough fight, kind of a Dustin Poirier kind of thing. We go in, we make it dirty, make it grimy, and guys get worn out and overwhelmed by it.”
“Now, Michael Chandler,” Brown continued. “We get the feeling — at least me and you and the people watching — he doesn’t have to do that. He is fighting for the fans. There’s basically two different ways to fight. Do you want to fight for the fans, or do you want to fight for yourself and win?”
Brown makes an intriguing argument. With the experience and versatility of ‘Iron Mike’, one could imagine he could battle a lot more tactically.
Matt Brown even made a comparison between Gatti vs. Mayweather. The two were involved in a fight where Mayweather tactically beat the brakes off of Gatti, ending in a merciful corner stoppage in the sixth.
“Floyd pieced him up easily,” Brown said about that night. “That’s exactly it. Gatti never developed those skills. That’s sort of the difference with Gatti and Chandler. I think Chandler, as much of a compliment as it is to be compared to Arturo Gatti, [with] Chandler we see the ability to go out there and win titles. I think most of us assume, we don’t know for sure, but we assume he probably could have beaten Dustin Poirier with a smart strategy. But he’s playing Dustin Poirier’s strategy. He’s playing Justin Gaethje’s strategy when he does that.”
“When he (Michael Chandler) goes out there and wings it like that. Does that mean you’re going to lose every time? No, because it works for him a lot of times too, but what you’re doing is you’re playing those guy’s game. Take them out of their game if you have the ability to do that. A lot of guys don’t have the ability to do that. There’s guys that’s kind of what they’re stuck with.”
Matt Brown dives deeper into the Michael Chandler and Arturo Gatti comparison
“What do we remember Gatti for? The wars,” Brown continued. “What do we remember Mayweather for? Not any wars,” Brown said. “We remember him for piecing people up.”
“That’s my whole criticism here. Not to knock on Michael Chandler, love the dude and love his style and love everything about him. It’s his career, he can do whatever he wants. But what I see is the ability for him to go out there and be that dominant champion, and he simply chooses not to.”
“He chooses to be Arturo Gatti when he could be Floyd Mayweather. Whether that’s right or wrong, we’ll have to see if he ever changes up his style, but that’s what it seems to me is his own choice.”
“People love winners more than they love brawlers or anything,” Brown said. “I could knock myself for this, too. I probably could have settled down many times and just picked people apart or used a little bit of wrestling, but that’s what people are going to remember in the end — the winner. That’s why people talk about Floyd so much, because he keeps winning. What does Floyd talk about all the time? How he wins. That’s all he brings up. That’s what people are going to care about.”
“People love winners more than they love brawlers or anything,” Brown said. “I could knock myself for this, too. I probably could have settled down many times and just picked people apart or used a little bit of wrestling, but that’s what people are going to remember in the end — the winner. That’s why people talk about Floyd so much, because he keeps winning. What does Floyd talk about all the time? How he wins. That’s all he brings up. That’s what people are going to care about.”
“If you have the ability to do it, and you’re saying you want to be a champion, then go do that. You don’t have to please anybody. Now if he wants to just go out and please the fans, that’s fine too. We love that. You’ll keep getting top billings on pay-per-views. You keep putting on f****** amazing fights, Michael Chandler. We love that. But you’ve got to kind of decide your strategy and what you want to get out of this.”
What’s your opinion on Matt Brown’s opinion of Michael Chandler?