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Michael Chandler is a newcomer in the UFC. However, ‘Iron’ has been a champion at Bellator in the past and has also defended his belt multiple times. Most recently, he won his title against Brent Primus. However, in his very first title defense lost the belt to Patricio Freire, who stopped him in the very first round and in the process became a two-division champion. 

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Following his loss to ‘Pitbull’, Chandler faced Sidney Outlaw and Benson Henderson. He stopped both via KO, before moving to the UFC. The move to a new organization has drawn a lot of ire from Patricio who feels ‘Iron’ is ducking a fight against him. 

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Read: “Where you at”- Michael Chandler calls out Tony Ferguson 

Michael Chandler can become a champion in the UFC says Patricio Freire

In a recent interview, leading up to his fight against Pedro Carvalho, ‘Pitbull’ was asked if he felt Michael Chandler ran away from a rematch with him. Via a translator, Freire said, “I mean, he’s over there that’s great. But I beat him, I’m the only one that put the champion on the canvas. He knows I have his number so it is possible that he did go over there for that reason.”

Patricio continued, “But I can say that he has all the ability to beat all those guys over there. He can beat all those guys over there, but he can’t beat me cause I have his number. So he can very well go on to become the world champion in the UFC with the skills he has, but he knows he’ll never beat me.”

Patricio is arguably one of the biggest names in Bellator. He is also one of the most dominant champions and became only the third person to stop Michael Chandler. 

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Moving up from featherweight and stopping a veteran of the sport in the first round is something truly remarkable. 

Following his loss, however, Chandler looked impressive and secured two impressive wins. However, in a move that shocked fans and pundits alike, he moved to another organization. This stunned fans and left them wondering what would have happened in a rematch. 

Do you think ‘Pitbull’ is right? Did Michael Chandler sign with the UFC to avoid a rematch against Patricio Freire? Let us know in the comments below.

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Kevin Binoy

1,289 Articles

Kevin Binoy is a senior UFC author at EssentiallySports. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Fergusson College and has been covering sports professionally for over two years. Besides working with the MMA desk, Kevin is a core member of the organization's web stories team and is responsible for delivering engaging MMA web stories. He has also written for a soccer website named Dribl. Kevin has covered monumental MMA moments such as Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement at UFC 254 and Conor McGregor's maiden MMA TKO defeat at UFC 257. He was attracted to MMA when he watched Ronda Rousey demolish Cat Zingano in 2015. Following 'Rowdy's departure, he has gravitated towards fighters like Jon Jones and 'The Eagle' Khabib Nurmagomedov. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys the sport of horse riding and also plays soccer regularly.

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