“Failure for me was May 15th, but Michael Chandler is not a failure as a whole.” Michael Chandler told the world as he weighed in on his first-ever defeat in the UFC. While it did look like a wise man talking about his loss, there was a time when the former 3-time Bellator champion was urged to hide himself following a loss.
But what instilled such a change in Chandler? Well, it was indeed maturity that came with experience. Today, let’s take a deep dive and find out all about the lightweight contender’s defeats in the MMA world.
Michael Chandler’s MMA losses and losing streak
‘Iron’ Mike was 12-0 (W-L) before he suffered his first professional loss, which came in a rematch against Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 106. At that time, Chandler was the Bellator Lightweight World Champion. And as Alvarez previously promised, he became the one to dethrone Chandler. But it happened via a split decision. That was the beginning of ‘Iron’ Mike’s 3-fight losing streak, as he faced defeat against Will Brooks in the next two bouts. Of course, he wasn’t happy about the loss.
Talking about his losses on an appearance on The MMA Hour, ‘Iron’ Mike once said, “I lost that first fight to Eddie and after that first fight; I wanted to hide from the media. It was the fight of the Night candidate. I got asked to present an award at the World MMA awards or go there and, you know, possibly receive the award. And I wanted to hide from everybody, I wanted to hide from the media; I wanted to hide from you. I wanted to hide from training partners and everybody because I was embarrassed by the loss.” But Chandler wasn’t someone who went down easily.
He went on to win the Bellator championship belt once again by defeating Patricky Pitbull, and defended it against Benson Henderson. However, his second title defense in his second title run was a disaster for Chandler. Bellator NYC in 2017 witnessed Brent Primus claiming the win over Michael Chandler via doctor’s stoppage. Well, the bout ended with ‘Iron’ Mike injuring his ankle in the very first round. Nevertheless, Chandler returned to defeat Primus via a unanimous decision and win the championship title for a third time. However, his next loss came when he had to defend the belt against Patricio Pitbull, marking his last defeat at Bellator FC.
The Missouri-born fighter bounced back once again, and made his UFC debut at UFC 257 against Dan Hooker. Needless to say, Chandler impressed the world and got his first-ever Performance of the Night bonus in the UFC. But his next bout against Charles Oliveira ended with a second-round KO defeat. Right after that, he faced Justin Gaethje at UFC 268 and lost via unanimous decision.
Michael Chandler’s third defeat in the UFC came when he landed against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. That was the moment when ‘The Diamond’ showcased his tremendous grappling skills and submitted ‘Iron’ Mike with an RNC. Finally, Chandler’s last bout at UFC 309 was also a loss, as ‘Do Bronx’ won via a unanimous decision. Despite having a UFC record of 2 wins and 4 defeats, the 38-year-old lightweight star is one of the fan-favorites. But why? Let’s see if his records and stats say something.
Michael Chandler’s record and stats
Standing 5’8” tall and weighing around 155 pounds, Chandler has an extended reach of about 71 inches. As of early 2025, the former Bellator lightweight champion has landed an average of 4.49 significant strikes per minute in the UFC, with an accuracy of 50%. Even though he made fun of Oliveira by hilariously slamming him twice at UFC 309, his takedown average measures to 1.59 takedowns every 15 minutes with an accuracy of 37%.
With the stats in check, ‘Iron’ Mike has amassed 23 victories and 9 defeats in his professional MMA career. 11 of these wins came via KO/TKO, and another 7 by submissions. In just 6 bouts in the Octagon, Chandler has received 5 performance bonuses – 2 Performance of the Night bonuses and 3 Fight of the Night bonuses.
And now, standing at the #7 position in the UFC lightweight athlete rankings, the Missouri-born fighter will land against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314. Winning this bout is really important for Chandler to overturn his 2-fight losing streak. Who knows… Maybe we can get to see him fighting for the lightweight belt if he claims a win over Pimblett. But we’d have to wait for the action on Saturday night.
Do you think the 38-year-old star can claim a win against ‘The Baddy’? What are your thoughts on Chandler’s journey in the UFC? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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