If any fighter were to have a problem with a major fight card being headlined by two fighters well past their prime and making their debut in Bellator MMA, you would think it would be Michael Chandler.
Chandler has cut his teeth in Bellator, debuting in the promotion at 24 years old in his 4th professional fight. Since that time he has become the Bellator Lightweight Champion, has gone 9-3 and is arguably the organization’s most recognizable homegrown talent.
Although Chandler would have a good case against having Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock headline Bellator 138 on Friday, the lightweight doesn’t seem to have a problem with the two fighters getting the headlining slot.
“People know who Kimbo Slice is and who Ken Shamrock is. There’s a lot of animosity between them. We will most likely break numbers on Spike TV,” Chandler told Last Word on Sports.
Bellator MMA has seen a giant shift in the way they promote fights since former Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker took over as president.
“Scott Coker knows how to run a promotion. You saw how successful he was with Strikeforce. You hear rumors of people who’s contracts are up talking about coming over. It’s cool, it’s exciting. We’ll see what the landscape looks like a year from now,” Chandler says.
Chandler will kick off the main card of Bellator 138 against Derek Campos, who earned a 30 second KO victory against Estevan Payan last September.
Campos also agreed that Bellator made the right decision in making Kimbo vs. Shamrock the headliner.
“I think it’s great that Kimbo and Ken are at the top because everyone loves it. It’s a spectacle. Ken Shamrock’s a legend, obviously, while Kimbo is a street fighter coming to MMA. People want to see if he’s evolved,” Campos said to Last Word on Sports.
Slice and Shamrock were initially scheduled to fight all the way back in 2008 at Elite XC: Heat. Shamrock pulled out of the fight on the day of the show, leading to the infamous 14 second knockout of Kimbo at the hands of Seth Petruzelli.
Bellator 138: Unfinished Business airs on Spike TV with Chandler vs. Campos kicking off the main card at 9pm EST. Although he’s not the main event, Chandler has no problem giving the fans a good start to the show.
“I think I’m the biggest star of the card, by far, but I think I’m kicking off the card to capture the audience, and what better way to do that than have Michael Chandler smash someone right away.”
