The rivalry between Will Brooks and Michael Chandler dominated the Bellator lightweight headlines in 2014. Over the course of seven months, Brooks and Chandler collided twice with the 155-pound title on the line, with Brooks first stealing the belt away from Chandler via split decision, then finishing Chandler with a fourth-round TKO in the rematch. Fittingly, Brooks went on to hold the belt until he departed Bellator for the UFC in 2016, and Chandler quickly snapped the title back up in his rival’s absence.
The prevailing assumption upon Brooks’ departure was that his success in Bellator would translate into the Octagon, just as Eddie Alvarez’s did when Alvarez left Bellator as champion then captured the UFC title in short order.