Michael Chandler Is In a Must-Win Position At Bellator 131

By Adam Martin

It’s going to sound shocking to some when they read this, but former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will be in a must-win position when he takes on Will Brooks for the vacant 155-pound title this weekend in the co-main event of Bellator 131. It’s shocking that Chandler is in this position because it was just one year ago when Chandler was 12-0 in his pro career and universally regarded as one of the top five lightweights in the world. Hell, some even thought he was top three, and a few even thought he was #1.

Chandler, who began his career in Strikeforce, won his first five fights in Bellator, including a win over Patricky Pitbull in the finals of the lightweight tournament. That earned him a title shot against former champ Eddie Alvarez, and Chandler shocked the world when he submitted him in a 2011 Fight of the Year candidate at Bellator 58. The upset win over Alvarez jumped Chandler way up the rankings, and everyone gained a massive amount of respect for him after that.

Chandler then fought three journeymen in Akihiro Gono, David Rickels, and Rick Hawn, and owned all three fighters, finishing Gono and Rickels with punches in under one minute and finishing Hawn with a submission in the second round. Although none of those three fighters are elite, the way Chandler ran through them was extremely impressive and it helped gain him even more hype heading into his long-awaited rematch with Alvarez at Bellator 106.

But despite being a betting favorite in that fight, and in many observers’ eyes doing enough to win a decision, the judges sided with Alvarez via split decision in a very close fight, and Chandler lost his belt. Losing to Alvarez, a respected lightweight, wasn’t the end of the world, but there’s no doubt the loss hurt Chandler’s stock somewhat.

The two were then scheduled to fight in a trilogy bout at Bellator 120, but a week before the fight, Alvarez pulled out with a concussion and Chandler instead fought Will Brooks, a lightweight tournament winner. Chandler entered the fight as a massive favorite, and although many again thought he did enough to win the fight, it was a lot closer than anyone expected, and Brooks was somehow awarded the decision. It was a shocking loss, one of the biggest upsets of the year in MMA – actually one of the biggest upsets of all time – and it means that Chandler, after starting his career a perfect 12-0, is now on a two-fight losing streak.

Now Chandler has the opportunity to get back in the win column when he takes on Brooks in a rematch at Bellator 131. But even though he will be the favorite once again, it’s not a guarantee he wins. Brooks has shown improvement every fight he’s had, and considering he did beat Chandler the first time around – even though it was controversial – it’s not out of the realm of possibility he pulls off the upset once again.

If Chandler somehow loses this fight, even if it’s a close decision, that will mean Chandler will be on a three-fight losing streak. Even if the losses are close/controversial, three consecutive losses looks terrible, and for most fighters, is a career killer. Luckily for Chandler, he’s still only 28 and there aren’t many top-tier lightweights in Bellator, but if Chandler loses this fight he’ll likely be behind tournament winners Dave Jansen and Marcin Held in the title queue, a bit shocking development.

I’m a huge fan of Chandler, but I’m wondering now if we all overrated him coming off of the win over Alvarez back in 2011. Maybe that will end up being the standout performance of his career. Although I think he beat Alvarez and Brooks in his last two fights, I’ll admit he did show signs of fading, and signs of deterioration. Maybe those two wars with Alvarez took their toll on him, and maybe he’ll show a decline once again this weekend. If that happens, all the hype will be gone, and his career will be in jeopardy. This fight against Brooks is make or break for Chandler, and if he wants to maintain his standing as an elite lightweight fighter, he absolutely has to win it.

Bellator 131