VIDEO: Michael Chandler is outraged by criticism and narrative of 'blow to the back of the head' in Charles of the Bronx

Michael chandler is outraged by criticism and narrative of 'blow in the back of the head' after defeat to Charles of the Bronx. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC

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Charles of the Bronx came out with the victory in UFC 309, but was Michael chandler who caused the most buzz behind the scenes. Accused of throwing illegal punches, the American once again responded to the criticism and clarified what happened during the most tense moments of the fight, valid for the lightweight division (up to 70,3 kg).

In an interview with the podcast 'The Ariel Helwani Show', Chandler defended himself against the accusations. The fighter stated that his blows were not illegal and that the rule that prohibits punches to the back of the head has a margin of tolerance.

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“I was bothered by the comments and the misinterpretation of the rules. The misinterpretation of what ‘holding the fence’ is by the unified rules. It is what it is, but I am honest and try to live with integrity. The narrative that is created is not a happy one for me (…), I am not happy with my performance. I would give it a two out of ten. I believe I can beat Charles Oliveira nine out of ten fights,” said Chandler.

'My hand was grabbing the back of my neck'

Defeated by the judges' unanimous decision, 'Iron' also criticized the interpretation of the rules by the commentators and the public. He claims that he was close to the action and did not intervene at any time.

“I’m not going to say I didn’t do anything wrong. There’s a line drawn from the crown of the head to the neck. One-inch variation. If you saw 90% of the punches, at least most of them, almost all of them, my hand was grabbing the ear, which is not the back of the neck. (…), the referee was two feet away and didn’t say anything. And then you have commentators ten feet away saying it hit the back of the neck,” he added.

The controversy intensified after Charles of the Bronx complain about Chandler's posture during the fight, which included him trying to hold on to the fence to avoid being taken down. The Brazilian, who had the upper hand for most of the fight, was shaken by a series of blows from the American in the fifth round, but managed to resist until the end of the fight.

Check out Michael Chandler's (subtitled) version on the subject