Michael Chandler vows to ‘respond like a champion’ to UFC White loss

Michael Chandler says he’s no stranger to adversity.

Chandler (23-11 MMA, 2-6 UFC) was knocked out by Mauricio Ruffy on Sunday at UFC Freedom 250 from the White House in Washington DC. The former Bellator champion and UFC title challenger, who was a big underdog going into the fight, hasn’t gotten his hand raised since knocking out Tony Ferguson in May 2022.

Chandler released a long video statement on his social media addressing the loss.

“Obviously the fight did not go my way, but I’m in good spirits,” Chandler said on his Instagram. “I’m happy, I am healthy, I’m hard to kill. I’m impossible to kill. I’m impossible to defeat because I’m so truly blessed. … Physically I’m good, a little banged up. I got punched in the ear. I’m banged up in the ear, got punched right in the ear and ripped it open.

“Hats off to Mauricio Ruffy. He was a tough puzzle to solve, to get going in there. He’s long, he’s fast, he’s accurate, he’s a good striker, and he landed the shots that ended the fight. Massive thank you to the UFC for the opportunity. Massive thank you to Dana for being a visionary who does one-of-one, crazy, never-to-be-seen again type of events. But, as I said, we’re happy, we’re healthy, we’re hard to kill.”

Chandler now has lost four fights in a row, three of them by stoppage, making it the toughest stretch of his career at 40 years old.

“You have these moments in life where everyone’s watching how you’re going to respond, and I promise you, just as I always have, I will continue to respond like a champion,” Chandler said. “It stinks because I know I prepared. I promise you I prepared to the best of my ability, left no stone unturned in my preparation. I can rest easy knowing that I did every single thing that I possibly could in this training camp.”