“Man, pain, crying, falling short, embarrassment,” Michael Chandler reflects upon his loss against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262


“Man, pain, crying, falling short, embarrassment,” Michael Chandler reflects upon his loss against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262

Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler was presented with the biggest opportunity of his life when he faced Charles Oliveira for the UFC’s lightweight title at the main event of UFC 262. Chandler almost knocked out Oliveira in round number 1, but a turn of events caused him to lose the fight.

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Now with another fight booked against former title challenger, Justin Gaethje. Chandler had a chance to reflect upon his loss. Talking to Ariel Helwani from The MMA Hour, he said, “Man, pain. Crying. Falling short. Embarrassment. Less than. That small voice inside my head that has always told me that I’m a small guy from a small town who was taught to do small things, because that’s what I was raised up into.”

He continued, “I’ve just gotten really good at duct-taping him to the basement of my mind and putting a roll of duct tape around his mouth. But man, he creeps back up. He creeps back up often. And he definitely crept back up right after May 15th, on May 15th.”

The setback is just a springboard for the comeback,” Michael Chandler learned a lot from his loss at UFC 262

Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler

Chandler talked about his mental state after the fight. He said it was very tough to accept the fact that he came so close to his dream, and fell short. He revealed what went on him that night, he said, “I stayed up until 4 in the morning that night. But this is why we do what we do. This is why the fans love this sport. … There’s a reason why the ‘Rocky’ franchise is one of the most successful movies franchises of all-time. It wasn’t because Rocky always won. It’s because Rocky always came back with complete disregard to previous setbacks and future opposition.”

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“So it was ups and downs for months at a time, but man, I made peace with it and it was an awesome opportunity that I got. And now I have an even bigger opportunity to come back from that loss. The setback is just a springboard for the comeback,” said Chandler.

Also read – “I think Dustin Poirier wins that fight by a third or fourth-round stoppage,” Michael Chandler shares his prediction for Poirier vs Oliveira at UFC 269