Eddie Alvarez: Michael Chandler’s UFC career has been ‘frustrating’ to watch

January 2, 2025 11:40 am ET

Eddie Alvarez doesn’t think Michael Chandler has lived up to his potential in the UFC.

Chandler has gone 2-4 since debuting in the UFC in early 2021, but has delivered some of the most memorable battles. Having gone to war with Chandler twice during their title fights in Bellator, Alvarez knows how good Chandler is.

Alvarez was able to realize gold when he signed with the UFC, however Chandler has fallen short in his pursuit. Alvarez can’t understand why Chandler doesn’t utilize his full skillset when competing in the octagon.

“If you ask him, he’s underperformed,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “He’ll know the reason for that or whatever the reasons are, but for sure I think he has all the tools to win the UFC title. It’s a matter of whether he uses the tools he has, and I don’t think he has properly, and I don’t know why. It’s very frustrating for me to watch because I know what he’s capable of, and what kind of grit and champion spirit he has.

“I think it’s more of him tweaking the way he fights and using the weapons that he has. He just doesn’t use them, and it’s frustrating for me to watch, to be honest with you. I think it’s frustrating for a lot of people who are fans of him who want him to win because he can. He just doesn’t use the stuff that God’s given to him. He doesn’t use his wrestling at all, and it’s very dominant. He’s a very strong guy.”

Alvarez is set to throw down with fellow ex-UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens January 25 at BKFC KnuckleMania 5 from Wells Fargo Center in Alvarez’s hometown of Philadelphia.

He would love to settle his rivalry with Chandler someday in a trilogy bout, but knows that’s not realistically going to happen in the UFC. He can, however, see it happening under the BKFC banner.

“Let’s let him fight again, and if he’s on the same trajectory and he loses again, he can maybe get cut, and then just come over to Bare Knuckle and let’s do it with no gloves,” Alvarez said. “I think that’s the kind of violence this world needs right now.”

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