Following three straight losses, former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler got back on track with a first-round submission win over Derek Campos in June.
For Chandler, finally winning a bout for the first time in nearly two years took a major edge off of things.
“It’s definitely an awesome relief to get over the hump,” Chandler told MMAWeekly.com. “I was on a 668-day dry spell. For me it was a long, long process and tough times, honestly, to continue to believe in myself, my skillset and what I was doing.
“Ultimately I was able to overcome it and I’m in a great place mentally, physically, and spiritually now. I’m just ready to go out there and perform and continue back on this road to the title.”
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Chandler (13-3) will look to pick up his second win a row when he returns to Bellator on Nov. 6 in St. Louis to face David Rickels (16-3) in a featured 155-pound rematch.
“Dave is a tough guy,” said Chandler. “He’s got a great gas tank. He’s a hard-nosed guy. He likes to fight and come forward. He’s decent on the ground, decent on his feet, and has a long reach.
“For me, it’s all about fighting my fight and doing what I do. I’ve got to put my hands on him and hopefully put another punch right on the button and knock him out again.”
Though it’s a rematch of a bout from 2013, Chandler doesn’t see the upcoming fight as any different as any of his previous bouts.
“It’s another guy with two arms and two legs that I have to compete against,” said Chandler. “It definitely gives me confidence going in knowing that I beat (Rickels) last time.
“It’s a sport that no matter how hard you train, you can get hit on the button and that all goes to waste, and I think that’s left a bad taste in his mouth and why he wants this rematch. But it’s all about going in there and competing against another man (for me).”
While continuing his winning ways and earning a title shot motivates Chandler, more importantly he wants to prove to people that he’s 100-percent back and someone to be reckoned with in the lightweight division.
“For me it’s about going out there and performing well,” he said. “I want people to think I’m in a good spot, that I am skilled, and that I’m the best guy in the division, and that they want to see me fight for the belt.
“If I get the title shot after this, that’s great. If not, I’ll fight five, 10 bouts, whatever I have to do to get that lightweight title and be ranked in the Top 10 in the world.”
