Michael Chandler explains why he began cutting passionate post-fight promos in the UFC and not Bellator: "I didn't give myself permission"

Michael Chandler recently explained why he began cutting passionate post-fight promos in the UFC and refrained from doing so when he was achieving success in Bellator. 'Iron' has become known for his post-fight interviews regardless of the result as he has done a great job setting the stage for what's next.

During his stint in Bellator, 'Iron' was considered one of the top lightweights in the world and was a former lightweight champion for the Scott Coker-led promotion. Despite his wins over the likes of Benson Henderson, Chander's post-fight interviews were subdued compared to what fans saw following his octagon debut against Dan Hooker.

During his appearance on Red Hawk Recap, the 38-year-old mentioned that he began expressing himself more in the UFC because they are the MMA leader and his wins were against the top-ranked fighters in the world.

"Those mic skills were born in the UFC. You know, you listen to me on the mic in Bellator, I was just kinda, thank my family...God. Just quiet and copacetic...Before I came to the UFC, I didn't give myself permission to do that because I knew I was one of the best guys in the world but I haven't proven it yet by being in the UFC. And once I got to the UFC, I said, 'Okay, all bets are off and now we're gonna call out everybody.'" [8:12]

Check out the full episode featuring Michael Chandler's comments below:

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Michael Chandler visited sports psychologist following losing skid in Bellator

In addition to explaining his decision to express himself once he joined the UFC, Michael Chandler disclosed that he went to a sports psychologist following his losing skid in Bellator.

During the aforementioned appearance, Chandler mentioned that he had experienced a hurdle in his career following three consecutive losses and that his sports psychologist provided him with helpful suggestions to overcome adversity:

"688 days without winning a fight and after my second loss, I was like, 'Man, I'm in a bad place here'. My body is built up and great but my mind is shriveled. So I went and saw a sports psychologist...we went through a bunch of stuff and that really helped me...And since then, I've just been on this journey to never let it happen again and I've read a lot of books." [38:18]

Check out Michael Chandler's Bellator highlights below: