Michael Chandler has quickly built a reputation in the UFC for putting on some of the most exciting fights in the promotion. His chances of being champion fell further after he lost to Dustin Poirier.
When he first signed as a free agent following an illustrious career in Bellator MMA, Chandler was laser-focused on winning a UFC title to cement his legacy as one of the greatest lightweights in mixed martial arts history. He’s since racked up four post-fight bonuses in five appearances win the UFC, however he also sports a 2-3 octagon record, with all three losses coming against fighters now sitting ahead of Chandler in the rankings.
UFC Welterweight Matt Brown is well-versed in the expectations associated with fan-friendly fights. However, this comes at a price — as Chandler discovered.
“He must fix his strategy,” Brown stated about Chandler in MMA Fighting’s “The Fighter vs. The Writer. “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. It’s a dirty and gritty place, so we get soaked and exhausted.
“Now Michael Chandler has the impression — at least for me, you, and all those watching — that he does not have to. He is fighting for the fans. There’s basically two different ways to fight. Are you looking to win ?”
or fight for your fans?
With his pedigree in wrestling and a potent ground-and-pound game, Chandler has shown dominance over opponents in many past fights without engaging in back-and-forth wars.
Chaser has participated in a lot of fights, including the five in UFC. That led to Dana White, UFC president, to compare him with Arturo Gatti who was known for his jaw-dropping and action-packed shows.
Brown is aware of the similarities, but as an avid boxer, he also recalls Gatti being a skilled slugger, who was capable of taking a lot of punishment, yet faced incredible odds against some of the greatest fighters in the sport.
A perfect example came in 2005 when Gatti faced off with 28-year-old Floyd Mayweather, who unleashed an absolutely savage beating while out-landing Gatti 168 to 41 en route to a merciful sixth-round stoppage once the towel was thrown in by Gatti’s corner.
“Floyd pieced him up easily,” Brown said about the fight. That’s it. Gatti never developed those skills. This is the main difference between 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. Most of us believe that Chandler could beat Dustin Poirier. He’s actually playing Dustin Poirier’s strategy. When he does this, he’s using Justin Gaethje’s strategy.
“When he goes out there and wings it like that. Is that a guarantee you will lose? No, because it works for him a lot of times too, but what you’re doing is you’re playing those guy’s game. If you can, take them out of your game. A lot of guys don’t have the ability to do that. Some guys are stuck with .”
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If Chandler accepts being an entertainer who is willing to take risks in order to win, then he will continue to be a popular pay-per view star and earn praise from his performances. However, that could limit his chance of becoming a UFC champion.
With eight post-fight bonuses of his own, Brown appreciates Chandler’s style, but he also believes the former Bellator champion could be the best lightweight in the sport if he chose to fight a different way.
“What do we remember Gatti for? The wars. For what do we recall Mayweather? Brown stated that there were no wars. We remember Brown for his ability to build people up. This is my entire criticism. Michael Chandler is a great guy. I love him and his style. He can do what he likes. It is his profession. He has the potential to be a dominant champion and I can see that. But he chooses to not.
“He chooses to be Arturo Gatti when he could be Floyd Mayweather. We’ll never know if that’s true or false, but it’s his choice .”
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Brown points the same finger right back at himself for falling into those tendencies throughout his own career, where he often times got dragged into those epic wars.
Perhaps this is the legacy Chandler wishes to leave, but Brown feels he can do a lot more.
” People love winners more that they love brawlers, or any other type of person,” Brown stated. I could also be criticized for doing this. 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. Floyd is a constant winner, and that’s why so many people love him. Floyd talks about what? How he wins. That’s all he brings up. This is what the people will 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. Pay-per-view will continue to give you top billings. You keep putting on f****** amazing fights, Michael. That is what we love. However, you need to decide on your strategy and goals for this .”
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Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/1/23475484/matt-brown-on-michael-chandler-he-chooses-to-be-arturo-gatti-when-he-could-be-floyd-mayweather?rand=96749
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