5 memorable Michael Chandler finishes outside the UFC

#2. Patricky Freire vs. Michael Chandler 2 – Bellator 157

Back in 2011, Bellator put on a lightweight tournament to determine the new challenger for the reigning champion at the time, Eddie Alvarez. Michael Chandler was one of the combatants featured in the tournament. He secured dominant victories over Marcin Held and Lloyd Woodard to earn a place in the final opposite Patricky Freire.

Freire, better known as 'Pitbull', was a highly-touted Brazilian prospect back then, making for an intriguing clash against the unbeaten Chandler. 'Iron' cruised to a unanimous decision win to earn a shot at gold for the first time in his professional career.

Five years after their initial meeting, the duo found themselves in each other's crosshairs yet again. This time, it was under far different circumstances. The lightweight championship was vacant in 2016, and the promotion selected Chandler and 'Pitbull' as the two challengers for the title.

They locked horns in the co-main event of Bellator 157: Dynamite 2.

The opening two minutes of the bout were tense, as both fighters took their time to get a feel for the range. Michael Chandler's forward pressure and the threat of a knockout forced Patricky 'Pitbull' to backpedal for as long as the fight lasted, and his constant feints were clearly bothering his Brazilian counterpart.

14 seconds into the third minute of the bout, Chandler uncorked a sublime straight right cross that put 'Pitbull' to sleep.

Watch the scintillating knockout below:

Chandler's first-round victory over 'Pitbull' saw the American claim the Bellator lightweight title for the third time in his career. It remains one of the cleanest knockouts in MMA history.

Watch the full fight below:

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#1. Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez 1 – Bellator 58

As discussed in the previous entry, Michael Chandler won a lightweight tournament in 2011, beating Patricky 'Pitbull' via unanimous decision in the final to earn a shot at gold.

The 155-pound kingpin at the time, Eddie Alvarez, was a dominant figure atop the weight class and had way more experience than his peers. Chandler's win over 'Pitbull' was just the eighth bout of his career, while Alvarez was already a 24-fight veteran by this point. They collided in the main event of Bellator 58.

The bout that ensued remains one of the greatest fights in Bellator history.

Both fighters came out swinging as soon as the fight started. It became evident almost immediately that Michael Chandler possessed more power as he dropped the champion twice inside the opening 20 seconds.

Eddie Alvarez managed to recover and the next few minutes were fairly even. In the final ten seconds of the first round, Chandler floored Alvarez yet again.

The second round was a tetchy affair and it looked as though the challenger was starting to fatigue. The tide turned in the third frame, as Alvarez put an absolute beating on his counterpart. He landed multiple heavy shots that stunned Chandler, who managed to survive the round by desperately holding on to the lightweight king until the bell.

Chandler showed championship heart in the fourth round, knocking down Alvarez with his hammer of a right overhand. With both fighters bloody and battered, 'Iron' pounced on the champion and secured full mount. Moments later, he sunk in a rear-naked choke, forcing the long reigning titleholder to tap.

Watch the full fight below: