5 Things You Might Not Know About Michael Chandler

If familiarity does indeed breed contempt, then Michael Chandler should have more than enough hostility built up within him ahead of his latest Ultimate Fighting Championship assignment.

The 38-year-old Missouri native will confront Charles Oliveira for a second time when their rematch serves as the co-main event for UFC 309 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Chandler lost to the Brazilian submission savant via second-round technical knockout four years ago and enters the cage with setbacks in four of his past five outings. He last competed at UFC 281, where he tapped to a rear-naked choke from American Top Team’s Dustin Porier on Nov. 12, 2022.

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Ahead of Chandler’s high-stakes battle with Oliveira at 155 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. Small-town roots served as his foundation.

Chandler was born on April 24, 1986 in High Ridge, Missouri—a town of less than 5,000 people situated 25 miles to the southwest of St. Louis.

2. He earned his stripes.

“Iron Mike” was a multi-sport star at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill, Missouri. Chandler chose to walk on as a wrestler at the University of Missouri, where he became a four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time team captain and onetime All-American. He still ranks 30th on the school’s all-time list for wins with 100.

3. Quality individuals have long surrounded him.

Though he had previous stints at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and Alliance MMA in San Diego, Chandler now operates out of the star-studded Kill Cliff Fight Club camp in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The gym affords him daily access to top-flight coaches—they include Henri Hooft, Greg Jones and Robbie Lawler—and world-class stablemates, from Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns and Shavkat Rakhmonov to Jason Jackson, Logan Storley and Impa Kasanganay.

4. He runs in exclusive circles.

Chandler remains one of only three fighters in Bellator MMA history to capture the same divisional championship three times. Douglas Lima and Patricio Freire are the others. Chandler held the Bellator lightweight crown from Nov. 19, 2011 to Nov. 2, 2013, from June 24, 2016 to June 24, 2017 and from Dec. 14, 2018 to May 11, 2019. His reigns lasted a combined 1,229 days.

5. Violent tendencies brought him fame and fortune.

The three-time Bellator champion’s fan-friendly style has served him well in the UFC. Chandler has pocketed four post-fight bonuses—two for “Performance of the Night” and two for “Fight of the Night”—worth a total $200,000 across his five appearances inside the Octagon.