Michael Chandler is somewhat surprised at Will Brooks’ failure to light up the UFC since moving over from Bellator in 2016
Brooks started off his career under the Las Vegas-based promotion with a unanimous decision win over Ross Pearson.
Since then, things have not gone so well. Three consecutive stoppage-losses in 13 months to Alex Oliveira, Charles Oliveira and Nick Lentz have left the former Bellator lightweight champion in a shaky position.
Chandler, who now occupies the top-spot in Bellator’s 155-pound division has explained why he sympathizes with his former rival’s current situation:
“I am. I really, really am. And the funny thing is, no matter how big of a rivalry you could have with somebody, and no matter how much you might dislike the way someone is, or we’ve had our differences, we have our history — I still feel for the guy,” Chandler said recently on The MMA Hour. “Man, nobody deserves to lose three fights in a row. When you can’t get your footing, your confidence is down in the dumps, things are going wrong here, things are going wrong there, you just can’t catch a break — it’s tough, man. I saw it happen and I saw some of the comments. Like, people are just ruthless. This man just steps into the cage, puts himself on the line, and loses in front of millions of people, and all people can say is negative, mean things.
“And that’s just the world we live in. So I’m here to say that, I’m one of his not-so-big supporters, but keep your head up, man. Your best days can still happen if you continue to believe in yourself and you continue to work hard.”
