UFC fighters getting accused of PED usage is not a new occurrence in the MMA world. The former Bellator champ Michael Chandler is also not a stranger to the same and has been in the throes of PED accusations before. For the unversed, many fighters like Dustin Poirier and Patricio Freire have charged him with using Performance enhancers. ‘The Diamond’ was particularly not happy when Chandler aimed at him and asked him to retire. The Louisiana native clapped back saying, “Muscle Milk Mike’ needs to chill,” subtly throwing a PED accusation in the mix. However, Chandler has never shied away from speaking out against the people accusing him of PED use over the years.

Since September 2010, Chandler has been competing under the Bellator banner. In this journey, ‘Iron’ became a 3-time Bellator Lightweight Champion and finally chose to make the leap to the UFC in 2020. Since then, he knows what online trolls are capable of and even his old rival Patricio “Pitbull” Freire accused him of steroid use.

“I’ve already said it before in interviews and tweeted about it: Chandler wasn’t going anywhere near USADA,” Freire informed MMAjunkie. “He was just talking about the UFC as negotiation tactics. That guy is one of the biggest PED users in the sport.” These accusations might be prominent for Chandler because of his insane physique, which even Daniel Cormier pointed out previously on his YouTube channel talking about his durability and toughness. 

Seems like the flashbacks from the past are coming back because ‘Iron’ has again been accused of PED usage before his upcoming clash with Paddy Pimblett. He decided to clear the air yet again about the indictments and uploaded a video to his Instagram story. He started off saying, “See the same people who accuse me of ster— because I get so absolutely jacked on fight week after 8-week training camp. And eat perfectly and completely dial in my nutrition see the same people say I am on PEDs and say I am on ste— because you can’t reach the type of results I reach naturally.”

He then explained that those people were the same individuals who did not have any resilience or self-control. Chandler said, “Those same people are the same type of people who refuse to engage with delayed gratification. Of eating perfectly and eating the same meals for an extended period for months. Those same people won’t admit that they like to cut corners and they love comfort. But they are afraid of a little bit of pain and a little bit of suffering.”

During his previous accusation by Freire, Chandler spoke to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto and that said he was happy to be able to put this theory to rest through USADA testing. He said, “Here I am now taking a fight, October 24 possibly, which is 11 weeks removed from my previous fight [against Benson Henderson]. So, it wasn’t like I’m coming into the UFC and saying, ‘Hey guys, I need a year. Give me a year before I step into the cage.’ No, test me now. Test me ASAP. So, I don’t need time. I’m excited about that. To lay that to rest, I’m excited to be a year clean, two years, three years, four years — you’re not going to hear me say anything about it.” 

Chandler has developed a reputation for being a hardcore brawler and being particular about his nutrition and diet before his fights. His philosophy with nutrition and training is simple–discipline. While speaking to MMA Fighting he said, “I don’t have a problem making weight because I’m the most disciplined person you’ve ever talked to.”  With a high protein, high-fat diet, and rigorous MMA training being just the tip of the iceberg, ‘Iron’ truly trains like an Iron sword ready to be sharpened. Maybe this is why people cannot fathom that his unbelievable physique is a result of discipline and self-control.

It was evident how serious he was about this false accusation because Chandler had been tested 6 times in 2024. Yet again, Chandler proved his haters wrong about PEDs but can he prove them wrong by winning against Paddy ‘The Baddy? ‘

Michael Chandler gives a bitter truth about losing to Paddy Pimblett

Liverpool’s hurricane Paddy Pimblett is set to collide with ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler at UFC 314. Chandler is again about to prove that he is a force of nature especially because he took this fight when he was on vacation! While the MMA world was busy speculating a fight between McGregor and Chandler, the latter prepared another blueprint to forge a different path to his legacy.

Fresh off from a loss against Charles Oliveira that would demoralize most fighters, Chandler is doing the opposite—stepping into the storm while saying, “See you at the top”. Even Michael Bisping pointed out how important this fight was for Chandler. This is his moment to cement his legacy and ‘The Count’ thinks that Chandler needs to win this fight somehow.

He said on his YouTube channel, “For Michael Chandler, if Chandler can’t beat Paddy Pimblett then again all this championship talk needs to stop. The ‘See you at the top’ stuff—you might have seen Chandler, he’s dressing up in the Paddy wig and looking ripped! The man never stops, okay? But he’s got to win, otherwise, he’s got to stop about see you at the top.” Do you think he can get back on track and win this fight? Share your thoughts in the comments below.