Was Michael Chandler ever UFC caliber? Matt Brown answers while reflecting on 'Iron's' 2-5 record in the promotion

Michael Chandler's TKO loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 has drawn significant attention from the MMA world. That includes former UFC welterweight Matt Brown, who has fielded the question about 'Iron's' abilities as a fighter. Speciffically, whether Chandler was ever good enough to succeed in the UFC to begin with?

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting's Damon Martin, the retired welterweight action fighter considered the possibilities. In particular, he entertained the possibilities that Chandler is past his prime, and that Pimblett is simply a top 10-caliber fighter at lightweight.

"Chandler is either past his prime or just wasn't UFC material to begin with and Paddy is a top 10 guy. I think both thtings could be true at the same time. Paddy proved to me he is a top 10 guy."

Brown elaborated on his thoughts about Chandler, arguing that his prime may have been during his Bellator days, during which 'Iron' became a three-time lightweight champion.

"And Chandler, I have the questions. Was his best years in Bellator? That's what I mean. He's a great fighter, I don't wanna take anything away from him, but I get the feeling that his best years were in Bellator and he got to the UFC a little bit too late."

Check out Matt Brown's thoughts on Michael Chandler's level (1:33 and 2:30):

Unfortunately, Chandler has now lost to four top 10 fighters in the UFC, with each loss growing increasingly more one-sided. Moreover, at a soon-to-be 39 years old, Chandler has accumulated a significant amount of damage throughout the years, and he is likely at the limit of what he can achieve in MMA.

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Analyzing Michael Chandler's UFC wins

Michael Chandler made his UFC debut with a certain level of hype surrounding his arrival. Unfortunately, he has lost more than he has won, going 2-5. But who did he beat and under what circumstances did those wins come? At UFC 257, 'Iron' TKO'd Dan Hooker within a round.

Check out Michael Chandler TKO'ing Dan Hooker:

While Hooker is a top 10 fighter, he was in a different point in his career at the time. He was coming off a brutal beating against Dustin Poirier, which Chandler may have benefitted from.

'Iron's' only other win was a knockout against an aging Tony Ferguson, who was on a three-fight losing streak, which eventually grew to 8 losses.