Matt Brown has delivered a harsh assessment of Michael Chandler’s future in the UFC following Chandler’s latest setback.
Chandler was knocked out in the first round by Mauricio Ruffy on the UFC White House card, a result that dropped the 40-year-old veteran to 2-6 in the promotion and extended his losing streak to four. More than four years have passed since his last win in the octagon, though Chandler has said he will not retire and plans to come back for another fight.
Speaking on The Fighter vs. The Writer, Brown questioned Chandler’s standing in the promotion and the star power he’s maintained.
"With Michael Chandler, just his whole UFC run hasn’t been anything of note," Brown said. "The fact that he’s as big of a star as he is in the UFC, I like Michael Chandler, I’m not trying to knock him, I’m just looking at objective facts — he shouldn’t be the star that he is in the UFC. He’s won two fights in the UFC, 2-6 and how are you 2-6 and you’re as big of a star as him? It doesn’t really add up."
Brown pointed to Chandler’s knockouts of Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson as his only UFC wins, calling the Hooker finish a good win “at the time” and adding, "The Tony Ferguson knockout is almost irrelevant."
Looking ahead, Brown floated other paths for Chandler.
"If I’m Dana White, I either cut him or tell him you need to retire," Brown said. "If he wanted to keep fighting, I think he would probably fit in other organizations… He’s clearly not a UFC level guy though at 2-6. You can’t do that."
