The rivalry between Will Brooks and Michael Chandler dominated the Bellator lightweight headlines in 2014. Over the course of seven months, Brooks and Chandler collided twice with the 155-pound title on the line, with Brooks first stealing the belt away from Chandler via split decision, then finishing Chandler with a fourth-round TKO in the rematch. Fittingly, Brooks went on to hold the belt until he departed Bellator for the UFC in 2016, and Chandler quickly snapped the title back up in his rival’s absence.
The prevailing assumption upon Brooks’ departure was that his success in Bellator would translate into the Octagon, just as Eddie Alvarez’s did when Alvarez left Bellator as champion then captured the UFC title in short order. But, perhaps unexpectedly, things haven’t played out so smoothly. After winning his UFC debut, Brooks has lost a trio of consecutive fights — the first losing streak of his career, all via stoppage, culminating in a disappointing submission loss to Nik Lentz at UFC Sydney.
And count Chandler among those surprised by how Brooks’ UFC run has begun.
“I am. I really, really am. And the funny thing is, no matter how big of a rivalry you could have with somebody, and no matter how much you might dislike the way someone is, or we’ve had our differences, we have our history — I still feel for the guy,” Chandler said recently on The MMA Hour. “Man, nobody deserves to lose three fights in a row. When you can’t get your footing, your confidence is down in the dumps, things are going wrong here, things are going wrong there, you just can’t catch a break — it’s tough, man. I saw it happen and I saw some of the comments. Like, people are just ruthless. This man just steps into the cage, puts himself on the line, and loses in front of millions of people, and all people can say is negative, mean things.
“And that’s just the world we live in. So I’m here to say that, I’m one of his not-so-big supporters, but keep your head up, man. Your best days can still happen if you continue to believe in yourself and you continue to work hard.”
Michael Chandler shares words of support for old Bellator rival Will Brooks
