For years, Michael Chandler has been a staple of the Bellator roster. A former lightweight champion, the 32-year-old has always oozed confidence and has never been afraid to speak his mind, although he’s never been the most brash fighter. Instead, he’s typically preferred to let his hard work and skill set do his talking inside of the cage.
Ahead of his Bellator 212 rematch with current 155-pound titleholder Brent Primus, which is set to take place Friday (Dec. 14) at the Neal. S Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, however, his tone has seemed to change a bit.
Michael Chandler wants revenge
Hearing him speak about the upcoming fight, one gets the sense that this may not be just another fight for him. In fact, it even seems as if the fight represents more than just a chance to reclaim his title. This one is personal – and Chandler is gunning for revenge.
“When I think about this rivalry, when I think about what happened, when I think about who is currently holding the belt, when I think about another man having something that’s rightfully mine, it makes my blood boil and I have never in my life wanted to hurt somebody so bad,” Chandler said in a recent edition of Bellator Sitdown.
“And when I step into that cage, you will notice a different Michael Chandler. You will notice a man on a mission and that mission is not just to win a fight, but to hurt somebody extremely bad.”
Chandler vs. Primus
As far as ‘what happened’, Chandler is referencing the outcome of his first fight with Primus, which took place at Bellator NYC in June 2017. Just minutes into the first round, Chandler suffered a lower leg injury after rolling his ankle. His ankle then became unstable and began to give out on him, hindering his ability to remain on his feet.
In impressive fashion, Chandler actually dropped Primus with a right hand, but Primus recovered. The referee then stepped in and doctors ruled Chandler unable to continue, leading to Primus having his hand raised and the belt wrapped around his waist.
Since that night, Chandler has returned to his winning ways, scoring a decision victory over Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 192 in January 2018, and a submission victory over Brandon Girtz at Bellator 197 this past April. Primus, however, hasn’t competed since.
Regardless of Primus’ activity or lack thereof, he remains a tough opponent given his size and power. Chandler, however, doesn’t seem to be concerned with Primus’ skill set or what he plans to do. Instead, the former champion seems dead set on making a statement.
“I fear him zero and I’m excited to go out there, step across the cage and put not just a dominant performance on him but possibly end his career and end his chances of ever fighting again,” Chandler said.
With the event now just days away, the score will soon be settled and if Chandler’s words are to be believed, Primus will have to show up in peak form because the former champion is coming for blood.
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