MICHAEL CHANDLER

I train my butt off every single day.

I never focus on my opponent - I focus more on myself: knowing what my strengths are, where I can take the fight, how I can win the fight, and the intensity that I'm going to bring to a fight.

I'm a guy who's been around this sport on the outside looking in, seeing, watching, scheming, plotting and planning his next big move.

Derek Campos is really tough.

God has always opened up doors at the right time. He's closed doors at the right time.

I think overall body awareness and knowing exactly where I need to be makes a big difference. Knowing how much weight to put on each foot or where I need to put my hands are things I'm very good at. Obviously with the wrestling background those are things that come naturally.

I'm not who I am without the organization of Bellator.

Finishing a guy like Benson Henderson, who hasn't been finished since for six years, the guy doesn't get finished and I finished it with a switch-step switch to Southpaw, knocked him out with my left hand.

America was built on hard work and not complaining about stupid junk.

I've had the belt and it's great. But at the end of the day it's just 12 pounds of leather and gold.

On my way to winning the title, it was great for me, but once I won the title, it was tough for me to get fights.

My goal is to win and to finish fights quickly.

The greatest thing about fighting a guy like Dave Rickels: He always comes to fight.

There are a lot of people who don't believe I deserve to be recognized as one of the top-10 best and I don't necessarily disagree with them.

Growing up as a wrestler, especially in practice, I think you get used to competing without much of a crowd around.

I actually have a tattoo on the left side of my chest that says 'Blessed.' It represents how blessed I've been in my life and how thankful I am for all that I have.

I had so much growing up and I'm so thankful for all the people who invested in my life.

Benson is a champion. I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't scared to death inside this cage, stepping into the cage with that monster.

I do love the outdoor. Love love the outdoors, fishing and hunting and that kind of thing.

You see it from my area, from any area, really, so many who want to be great and have the drive, but don't have the resources. I'm very blessed that I have a family that was financially stable enough to get me to tournaments and camps and to practices so I could wrestle year-round.

I eat about every three to four hours.

I was never an upper body wrestler. I am a shooter.

Some guys, when they enjoy some success in this sport, they get complacent. Not me. It makes me work and train that much harder, helps to bring out the warrior in me.

I do have some unfinished business with Josh Thomson. I think that's a fight fans want to see, it's a fight Bellator wants, it's a fight I want.

For as long as I can remember, our family has been huge Cardinals fans. My grandpa is a personal friend of Whitey Herzog's; they were neighbors for decades. Our love and support of the Cardinals definitely runs deep.