WOW! Michael Chandler Brutally KO’s Bellator Superstar at Bellator 243

Published 08/08/2020, 10:15 AM EDT

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Michael Chandler had an easy day at work, as he knocked out Benson Henderson in the first round of their headlining bout at Bellator 243.

Chandler notched his 13th finish in the promotion and became the only other man to demolish Henderson with strikes after RDA. Although Henderson showcased his caliber in the early stage of the fight, Chandler responded with some lethal strikes to shut him down.

Michael Chandler knocks out Benson Henderson at Bellator 243

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The fight was thunderous from the very start. Both the men traded leg kicks, imposing considerable damage over each other.

Not to forget, Henderson landed some lethal leg kicks that forced Chandler to take a step back. Not only that, but Chandler also got clipped for a moment. Yet, he managed to stand up instantly.

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That said, Henderson seemingly rushed a bit and tried to over-power his rival instantly. However, Chandler retained himself while working on the leg kicks, and Henderson worked on the body with solid kicks and right-hand jabs.

While it seemed that the fight would go to the distance, Chandler stunned everyone with his vicious strikes.

The former champion landed a left hand over Henderson to put him down on the mat. He followed it with some lethal shots and sealed the victory for himself.

No wonder it was a huge loss for Henderson and a big night for three-time Bellator Lightweight champion Michael ‘Iron’ Chandler.

Chandler vs Henderson 1

The re-match between the two veterans appeared contrasting to their original fight from 2016. Also, Chandler seemed to have learned a lot from their first fight.

The original contest went to the judge’s scorecard, with Chandler notching the win via decision. However, it was a close-contest and Henderson outpointed Chandler on several occasions.

Thus, Chandler did not let that happen in the rematch. After getting settled in the cage with some primary exchanges, Chandler wasted no time in mounting an all-out attack on Henderson.

Henderson could offer very little in their highly-anticipated rematch as he had to depart the arena with a crushing defeat.

What’s next for Chandler?

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As per the reports of MMA Junkie, Chandler has finished his contract with the promotion after his latest appearance at Bellator 243. He would exit the promotion with the most number of wins (18) and most number of finishes (13).

As he will be a free agent soon, it is safe to say that Chandler can be UFC bound anytime. If not for other promotions like ONE Championship or PFL.

Bellator MMA’s Valerie Loureda Credits Jorge Masvidal for Guiding Her

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Written by:

Raj Sarkar

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A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. He combined his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports and has a combined 2000 plus bylines in MMA and boxing over the last two years.
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