Michael Chandler issues video statement following TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262: “The best is still yet to come”

Michael Chandler issued a video statement following his TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262, saying that “The best is still yet to come.”

Chandler, the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, took on Oliveira in the main event at this past Saturday’s UFC 262 pay-per-view event. After a strong start in the first round, which even saw him earn two 10-8 scorecards from the judges, Chandler started to tire and was knocked out by Oliveira early in the second round. It was Chandler’s first loss in the UFC after beating Dan Hooker in his promotional debut earlier this year, and this one hurt because he lost his chance to be the UFC champion, which is his dream. However, Chandler remains positive and promises his fans that he will still hold the gold one day.

On Monday, Chandler posted a video statement to his social media where he thanked his supporters and noted that he’s already back in the gym working in order to get better.

“Here we are, Monday morning, hitting the ground running after a tough weekend, a tough loss, falling short. A great opportunity that was — we missed the mark. That’s just the way life is. Sometimes life’s going to deal you those kinds of things. Sometimes you’re going to encounter scars, bruises. But the scars and the bruises remind them that you’re still here. You’ve still got a smile on your face and you’re still moving forward with complete disregard to previous failures and future opposition,” Chandler said.

“I just want to thank you guys for being on this journey with me. You have no idea what your support, the outpouring of love, has done to my heart. It’s just absolutely amazing. Thank you guys so much for being on this journey with me. I’m surrounded by such a great, ridiculous support system and I love you guys so much for being part of that. We don’t follow people because of the virtual certainty of success that they might have. We don’t follow them into battle because we know they’re going to win. We follow them into battle because of what they have done on the way to the battlefield. And then if they do encounter a setback, if they do suffer loss, if they publicly get beaten, and the masses see it, we follow them because of the way that they pull themselves back up. We follow them because of the way that they trot forward, continue to move forward, continue to hitch their dreams to that shooting star. And that’s where I’m at right now,” continued Chandler.

“So I just love you guys, thank you for being on this journey with me. The best is still yet to come. As I said, I will wear that UFC strap before this UFC career is over. It’s just a bump in the road. The road back to the title starts today, it already started today. I was already in the gym this morning just as I promised you guys I would be on Saturday night. I love you guys. As always, I’ll see you at the top.”

Do you think Michael Chandler will be the UFC lightweight champion one day?