UFC lightweight Michael Chandler issued a statement following his loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250, saying his ear ripped open.

Chandler was stopped by Ruffy in the first round after the Brazilian landed a wide variety of deadly strikes that finished the fight. The 40-year-old Chandler’s UFC record is now 2-6, and he has lost four straight fights inside the Octagon, with his last win coming back in 2022 against Tony Ferguson.

Michael Chandler’s Statement After UFC Freedom 250

Taking to his social media following his loss to Ruffy, Chandler issued a lengthy statement in which he described his latest defeat inside the Octagon.

“Obviously, the fight did not go my way, but I’m in good spirits. I’m happy. I’m healthy. I’m hard to kill. I’m impossible to kill. I’m impossible to defeat because I am so truly blessed. Physically, I’m good. I’m a little banged up. I got punched in the ear and ripped it open. Hats off to Mauricio Ruffy. He was a tough puzzle to solve, to get going in there. He’s long, he’s fast, he’s accurate, he’s a good striker. He landed the shots that ended the fight, so here we are. But as I said, we’re happy, we’re healthy, we’re hard to kill,” Chandler said (h/t MMAFighting.com).

What’s Next for Michael Chandler?

As for what’s next for Chandler, there have been suggestions that he should retire. But Chandler made it clear in his statement that he plans on continuing to fight.

“It’s time to get back on the horse. It’s time to continue to move forward as I always do. Typical Chandler fashion. All we do is move forward. In the face of adversity, we move forward. We walk on. In the face of letdown, we walk on. In the face of opposition, we walk on. Things don’t go our way, we continue to walk on. Because we are the man in the arena. And we’d much rather be that person who fails while daring greatly than being the person who’s sitting on the sidelines of life talking about the man or the woman who failed while daring greatly,” Chandler said.

“I love you guys. I truly, truly love you guys. And I thank you guys for your support. The best is yet to come. The best is yet to come. Trust me. Keep on watching. Keep on getting after it. Keep on trying to operate with integrity and being a good person. Because your best days and your blessed days are right ahead of you if you can continue to do that. I love you guys. God bless. I’ll see you at the top.”

With the loss to Ruffy, Chandler is no longer ranked in the top 15 in the official UFC lightweight rankings. It will be interesting to see if the promotion keeps him on the roster and offers him another bout, or if he gets released since he has lost four straight fights, which typically leads to a fighter getting their walking papers from the UFC.