Michael Chandler reveals suspected injury, says Charles Oliveira rematch was the "most pain" he has ever been in: "Peed blood, inflammation all over"
Michael Chandler ended his two-year hiatus last weekend as he made his return to the octagon, suffering a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. The No.7-ranked lightweight recently opened up on the bout, revealing that his body is in the most pain it has ever been.
Speaking to Will Compton and Taylor Lewan of Bussin' With The Boys, 'Iron' shared that his heart is full before adding:
"[My] body [is in] the most pain I've ever been in my entire life. The most injuries I've ever had in a fight, for sure. Peed blood, inflammation all over, my whole body is swollen... The first one was very [a] light [color of blood], which was in my drug test. New York drug tested me before the fight and then after the fight... I tested positive for blood... It had a light tint and the second one was beet looking juice. It was dark."
Chandler later revealed that he also suffered a knee injury, adding:
"I think something happened to the knee in that first exchange wherer he had the leg and I did that a full 360, he did a kneebar thing, because I walked back to the stool and I looked down at my left leg and it was not working right. It wasn't stepping, it wasn't catching, it was unstable, it was weird. You know what it feels like to be on a solid foundation, to walk forward, plot forward, move forward, attack, and I just wasn't."
Check out Michael Chandler's comments below (1:17):
Chandler noted that moving backward was not a problem. He noted that he hasn't had an MRI yet but plans to, as his leg wasn't working well for about 23 minutes of the bout.
Chael Sonnen believes Michael Chandler salvaged the Conor McGregor matchup
While Michael Chandler suffered a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira, it is hard to argue that his stock went down. Chael Sonnen recently revealed that he doesn't believe the loss will hurt 'Iron's' chances of facing Conor McGregor in his return.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sonnen claimed:
"What Chandler did with his shot on the microphone, I forgot he lost the fight. When you asked me about it, I forgot that he lost the fight... There's Charles Oliveira who's the No.1 contender and hoping to God that it ain't Islam [Makhachev] by the time that golden ticket gets called in. And then you got Chandler trying to set up a fight. And yes, he salvaged it completely. 15,000 screaming people and Joe Rogan co-signing it proves he salvaged it completely."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler below:
Chandler and McGregor served as opposing coaches on season 31 of 'The Ultimate Fighter,' which finished airing in August 2023. The pair finally appeared set to clash at UFC 303 in June. However, 'The Notorious' was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a toe injury. It remains unclear when the former double champ will return or if 'Iron' will be his opponent.