5 memorable Michael Chandler finishes outside the UFC

Michael Chandler made the already-stacked UFC lightweight division a lot more interesting when he crossed over to the world's premier MMA organization back in 2020. He has since emerged as a fan favorite and one of the most watchable fighters on the roster.

Chandler enjoyed a stellar decade-long career in Bellator MMA prior to signing with the UFC. The former three-time lightweight champion was the face of the promotion for many years and put on some legendary fights that will stand the test of time.

With his freakish athleticism and never-say-die attitude, the Missouri native is among the most explosive, violent and dangerous fighters at 155 pounds. Despite blowing hot and cold in his UFC stint so far in terms of results, 'Iron' has always entertained the masses and his gold-laden run in Bellator is a testament to that.

On that note, here are five memorable Michael Chandler finishes outside the UFC.

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#5. Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson 2 – Bellator 243

In his final fight under the Bellator banner, Michael Chandler ran it back with former WEC and UFC 155-pound champion Benson Henderson. The duo locked horns for the first time back in 2016, when Chandler was the reigning lightweight king. He defended his title on that occasion, coming away with a split decision victory.

Four years after their first encounter, Chandler and Henderson squared off in the main event of Bellator 243.

Bellator 243 poster [Image via @ScottCoker on Twitter]

Chandler came out of the blocks like a house on fire, pressuring Henderson with his constant forward movement and powerful strikes. Henderson landed cleanly on a few occasions, but his shots didn't seem to faze 'Iron'.

A little over two minutes into the very first round, Chandler landed a body kick down the middle before unleashing a powerful left cross which caught Henderson flush on the chin and spun him around. The former UFC champion crumbled to the canvas, prompting the referee to call a halt to the action.

For the first time in his Bellator career, Michael Chandler hinted at a move away from the promotion during his post-fight interview.

When asked about the possibility of competing for the lightweight strap in his next outing, Chandler seemingly sidestepped the question and took the opportunity to thank the staff at Bellator instead. Less than a month later, he signed with the UFC.

Watch the full fight below:

#4. Michael Chandler vs. David Rickels 1 – Bellator 97

Michael Chandler won the Bellator lightweight title in 2011 and followed it up with a successful title defense against Rick Hawn over a year later. In his next outing, he was eyeing a second defense of his belt when he took on David Rickels in the main event of Bellator 97.

Chandler utilized his typical marauding style to put Rickels on the backfoot right from the get-go, peppering him with power hooks to the body to push him into the fence.

In one of the fastest title defenses you'll ever see, Chandler put Rickels to sleep with a powerful left hook just 44 seconds into the bout to retain his lightweight championship. In his rematch with the same opponent two years after their first encounter, 'Iron' secured a second-round TKO win.

Watch Michael Chandler's 44-second knockout of David Rickels below:

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#3. Michael Chandler vs. Sidney Outlaw – Bellator 237

In 2019, Bellator debuted in Japan and put on a sensational cross-promotion event with Japanese MMA organization Rizin Fighting Federation. The event was held at the historic Saitama Super Arena and was headlined by a monumental clash between heavyweight legends Fedor Emilianenko and Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.

In the co-main event, Michael Chandler took on Sidney Outlaw.

Chandler was coming off a disappointing loss in a championship fight. Eager to return to title contention, 'Iron' was looking to redeem himself when he squared off against Outlaw at Bellator 237 in Japan.

The bout started off relatively slow compared to Chandler's other fights. He was clearly wary of Outlaw's renowned submission threat and wisely didn't attempt any takedowns. With one second to go in the third minute of the fight, the former three-time champion landed a thunderous overhand right, which effectively ended the bout.

This turned out to be the penultimate bout of Michael Chandler's Bellator run. His next fight was the previously discussed rematch with Benson Henderson, which turned out to be his last appearance in the Scott Coker-led promotion.

Watch the full fight below:

#2. Patricky Freire vs. Michael Chandler 2 – Bellator 157

Back in 2011, Bellator put on a lightweight tournament to determine the new challenger for the reigning champion at the time, Eddie Alvarez. Michael Chandler was one of the combatants featured in the tournament. He secured dominant victories over Marcin Held and Lloyd Woodard to earn a place in the final opposite Patricky Freire.

Freire, better known as 'Pitbull', was a highly-touted Brazilian prospect back then, making for an intriguing clash against the unbeaten Chandler. 'Iron' cruised to a unanimous decision win to earn a shot at gold for the first time in his professional career.

Five years after their initial meeting, the duo found themselves in each other's crosshairs yet again. This time, it was under far different circumstances. The lightweight championship was vacant in 2016, and the promotion selected Chandler and 'Pitbull' as the two challengers for the title.

They locked horns in the co-main event of Bellator 157: Dynamite 2.

The opening two minutes of the bout were tense, as both fighters took their time to get a feel for the range. Michael Chandler's forward pressure and the threat of a knockout forced Patricky 'Pitbull' to backpedal for as long as the fight lasted, and his constant feints were clearly bothering his Brazilian counterpart.

14 seconds into the third minute of the bout, Chandler uncorked a sublime straight right cross that put 'Pitbull' to sleep.

Watch the scintillating knockout below:

Chandler's first-round victory over 'Pitbull' saw the American claim the Bellator lightweight title for the third time in his career. It remains one of the cleanest knockouts in MMA history.

Watch the full fight below:

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#1. Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez 1 – Bellator 58

As discussed in the previous entry, Michael Chandler won a lightweight tournament in 2011, beating Patricky 'Pitbull' via unanimous decision in the final to earn a shot at gold.

The 155-pound kingpin at the time, Eddie Alvarez, was a dominant figure atop the weight class and had way more experience than his peers. Chandler's win over 'Pitbull' was just the eighth bout of his career, while Alvarez was already a 24-fight veteran by this point. They collided in the main event of Bellator 58.

The bout that ensued remains one of the greatest fights in Bellator history.

Both fighters came out swinging as soon as the fight started. It became evident almost immediately that Michael Chandler possessed more power as he dropped the champion twice inside the opening 20 seconds.

Eddie Alvarez managed to recover and the next few minutes were fairly even. In the final ten seconds of the first round, Chandler floored Alvarez yet again.

The second round was a tetchy affair and it looked as though the challenger was starting to fatigue. The tide turned in the third frame, as Alvarez put an absolute beating on his counterpart. He landed multiple heavy shots that stunned Chandler, who managed to survive the round by desperately holding on to the lightweight king until the bell.

Chandler showed championship heart in the fourth round, knocking down Alvarez with his hammer of a right overhand. With both fighters bloody and battered, 'Iron' pounced on the champion and secured full mount. Moments later, he sunk in a rear-naked choke, forcing the long reigning titleholder to tap.

Watch the full fight below: