MMAOddsBreaker’s Frank Trigg speaks with Bellator 157 lightweight Michael Chandler as he prepares for his upcoming co-main event this Friday night (June 24, 2016) against Patricky Freire at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
The former lightweight champ is extremely confident heading into this bout due to some great experiences with the new training environment:
“It brings me back to that first title run I made. I had to get through [Patricky Pitbull] in the tournament finals to fight Eddie Alvarez. He’s gotten a lot better in the last couple years. He’s had phenomenal highlight reel knockouts. The guy’s got power in his hands, he loves to swing leather. I think I’m a problem for anybody in the division. My ground game, I’m getting three and a half months of training with Neil Melanson, and what I’ve been able to do with the ground game is nothing short of amazing. My sparring’s been phenomenal. He’s gotten better, I’ve gotten better. Whether it’s on the feet or on the ground, I feel I’m gonna be able to finish him.”