Michael Chandler’s Fighting Style: BJJ, Striking and All About American Wrestler

‘Iron’ Michael Chandler has made a name for himself with his all-action and high-octane fighting style inside the cage! The former 3-time Bellator lightweight champion put that on display when he made his debut in the UFC against Dan Hooker at UFC 257 in 2021. With a body-head combination that floored ‘The Hangman’ and vicious follow-up shots, Chandler announced his arrival in the UFC in stunning fashion.

He is currently preparing to face Conor McGregor on June 29 at UFC 303 in a fight that has been highly anticipated by the fandom despite multiple delays and roadblocks in its confirmation. As such, let’s take a look at Chandler’s fighting style and break down the elements that have made him a fan favorite in MMA.

All we know about Michael Chandler’s fighting style

Michael Chandler currently has only 5 fights on his UFC record. As such, fans who haven’t seen his fights outside the promotion may be inclined to judge him by those fights only. However, they certainly do not paint a complete picture of what Chandler’s fighting style is all about.

Standing at 5’8, Chandler’s game plan revolves around using his remarkable explosiveness and athleticism to overwhelm his opponents with bursts of offense that are hard to defend against. With a stand-out background in wrestling, Chandler has used that base to build his striking game around forcing his opponents to engage with him on his own terms and consistently putting them on the back foot.

According to a breakdown shared by ‘The Fight Site’, ‘Iron’ has been noted to fight out of a bladed stance, which means he doesn’t square up to his opponent and it allows him to quickly move in and out of range. Nonetheless, this does not always work in his favor. UFC lightweight veteran and Chandler’s former opponent Dustin Poirier laid it out perfectly in a recent interview.

Predicting the outcome of the UFC 303 bout that was supposed to go down, Poirier conveyed that the way Chandler covered distance during fights could be his undoing. The Tennessee native fits the bill of the ‘short stocky wrestler with an overhand right’ – a type McGregor proclaims he thrives against. There is merit to these claims because Poirier got the better of Chandler in the striking exchanges until the ex-Bellator star made the fight busy and dirty.

This explosiveness and movement, however, come at the cost of stamina as Chandler has been known to noticeably slow down in the later rounds of his fight, but his power still makes him a threat even at that stage. But what about his wrestling ability? Here’s a look at his impressive collegiate wrestling background.

Is UFC star ‘Iron’ a D1 wrestler or a striker?

Michael Chandler began his wrestling career when he was a student at Northwest High School, where he held the distinction of being voted the ‘Most Valuable Wrestler’ during his senior season. Upon graduating from high school, ‘Iron’ made his way to the University of Missouri, thanks to an athletic scholarship.

In his interview with UFC.com, Chandler revealed that he was, an “NCAA D1 All-American wrestler. Four-time NCAA qualifier. Three-year team captain at Mizzou (University of Missouri).” It was in college that Chandler began a friendship with future UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley and it was their influence that led to him finding his way to MMA, as well. 

In terms of his fighting style, it is Chandler’s strong wrestling and grappling base that allows him to strike freely without worrying about the threat of takedowns. For his opponents, Chandler’s ability to shoot on them at any point also opens up his striking, as he can mix up his attacks with level changes and fake shots that transition into strikes.

What BJJ belt is Chandler?

According to reports available online, Michael Chandler holds a black belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, a non-traditional system developed by Eddie Bravo. The system is unique in the world of BJJ as it primarily focuses on no-gi grappling and focuses on submission-centric grappling contests instead of the usual gi-grappling. As such, Chandler is adept at submission defense and offense with many of his submission victories coming off of high-percentage moves like the rear-naked choke and the arm-triangle choke.

In conclusion, with Chandler’s relentless style and McGregor’s precision striking, their clash on June 29 could have been set to be one of the most anticipated bouts in recent memory. And now his fans can only anticipate McGregor to recover swiftly and for the UFC to announce a new date! The fight community sure is waiting with bated breaths for this electrifying matchup, knowing it could produce one of the most memorable fights in UFC history!