Michael Chandler failed to defend his lightweight belt at Bellator 221 against arch rival Patricio “Pitbull” Freire this previous weekend.
Moments into the first round, Pitbull stung Chandler with a punch. Seconds later, the referee waved the fight off. Still, Chandler has been adamant that he wasn’t in any real trouble, and that he deserved more time to recover.
For those who think Chandler could not take a few blows, think again folks. At Bellator 58, Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez, Alvarez pounced on Chandler with relentless punches. Those who know Chandler’s game know this fact that he can take deadly blows and the man never gives in. A truly remarkable and memorable fight earned him the Bellator Lightweight title. Above all, many applauded Chandler for the courageous show he put on.
In their second fight, Eddie pulled every trick he knew to tame the animal in Michael Chandler. Though the win came down to a split decision in favor of Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler fought the bout with sheer heart and guts. He battled exhausted, just unwilling to submit and showing the valor of a real fighter.
Michael Chandler opened up on his desire for a rematch with Pitbull. He understands that opinions are going to vary on the stoppage, but believes the majority of fans will side with him on the issue.
He said,
“I’m the fighter, the promoters will promote. I think you’re going to see an overwhelming majority of people that are going to want to see a rematch. I think Bellator’s probably going to want to see a rematch. Of course, I want the rematch.
“Whether you’re in the camp that thinks it was an early stoppage or not, I’m not going to sit up here and rant and rave about all of that. You could’ve had 10,000 different refs in there and had it go 10,000 different ways or on the other side. … Patricio ‘Pitbull’ will step back in the cage with me, it’s just a matter of when.”
Chandler concluded:
“Did I get hit? Yeah. Was I out? Absolutely not.”
Do you think Michael Chandler deserves an immediate shot at redemption against Patricio Freire? or if you think otherwise watch the video below:
