Chandler will look to rebound from losing the lightweight
championship in a grudge match with Patricio
Freire in May. The Bellator staple gets his first opportunity
to fight outside of North America. The three-time lightweight
champion is a well-rounded fighter with excellent footwork and
likes to stalk his opponents using high-level hand speed and
explosion. The Hard Knocks 365 rep is a hard-hitting boxer whose
best strikes are his overhand right and left hook. Chandler does
well to attack the body and press a high pace. When pushing the
action, he can make the mistake of overthrowing his punches,
leaving him out of position and vulnerable to counters. His
aggressive style makes him fairly easy to hit, and he makes matters
worse by throwing a strike and bringing his hand back to his waist
instead of to his chin. The 33-year-old also hardly ever checks a
kick. Even though Chandler is a devastating striker, wrestling
remains the cornerstone of his game. The former University of
Missouri wrestler has stellar drop-step entries and superb drive,
which can easily get opponents to the canvas. He showed sublime top
control when he reclaimed the lightweight championship from
Brent
Primus. Once he secures the position, Chandler will pummel his
opponent with heavy ground strikes. He is also a submission threat,
having secured seven such wins. The damage Chandler has accumulated
across his career has become an increasing concern and figures to
catch up to him at some point.
Outlaw draws his second Bellator assignment after agreeing to
replace the injured Benson
Henderson. Despite his relative youth, Outlaw, 27, has a decent
amount of experience. The former Ring of Combat and Titan Fighting
Championship titleholder recorded a victory in Dana White’s
Contender Series in 2017 and will enter the cage on a nine-fight
winning streak. Outlaw remains limited in the standup department, a
slow puncher who avoids strikes by simply turning his head away
from them. Outlaw holds the rank of black belt in Brazilian
jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie,
so he prefers to close the distance and drag the fight to the
ground whenever possible. He does so by either timing a double-leg
or by catching a kick. Outlaw shines in top position, as he mixes
heavy ground-and-pound with guard passes and submission
attempts.
While Outlaw has been a solid addition to the Bellator roster,
Chandler represents a terrible stylistic matchup for him. “Iron
Mike” figures to be the superior wrestler and does not throw many
kicks for Outlaw to catch. Expect Chandler to pick apart “Da Gun”
until he connects with something significant. Chandler by
second-round technical knockout is the pick.
