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Lightweight champion Michael Chandler makes the second defense of his Bellator title June 19 when he meets Dave Jansen in Thackerville, Okla., promotion officials announced Wednesday.

On hiatus until Bellator MMA's Summer Series in June offers three four- man tournaments, the promotion and its vested television partner, Spike TV, have just begun to unpack their first season together since the move from MTV2's hinterlands. A sol...

Dave Jansen outworked Marcin Held to win the Season 7 Bellator lightweight tournament and set up a title shot against Michael Chandler.

Following Wednesday's announcement of the 16 fighters cut from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, MMA10 ranks the top 10 non-UFC fighters in mixed martial arts, including Michael Chandler, Ben Askren, Mo Lawal and Jon Fitch.

Story | Conversation | February 21, 2013

These are the lightweight power rankings.

IRVINE, Calif. -- Because sport always trends this way, it won't be long before a discussion brews around which mixed martial artist is Bellator's best. If Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney is to be believed, and thus far there's no reason to doubt him, t...

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- He might not like to be reminded of it, but that doesn't change the fact that Renato "Babalu" Sobral has entered his 16th year as a professional mixed martial artist. A sport that paid him well and, to his chagrin, prov...

Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler envisions himself the best 155-pound mixed martial artist on the planet -- and the 26-year-old wrestler from Missouri is at least deserving of being in the discussion.

In ESPN the Magazine's 2012 NEXT issue, we unveil the athletes looking to make an impact on future generations of sports fans.

If you're put on hold after dialing Bellator Fighting Championships' office in Newport Beach, Calif., it only takes a second to recognize the supercharged commentary of Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith. Waiting to speak with Bjorn Rebney -- the promo...

Finding ways to stay active is one drawback to being a Bellator champion. It's the reason bantamweight titleholder Eduardo Dantas felt compelled to step outside the Bellator cage for an Aug. 25 fight with Tyson Nam at Shooto Brazil 33 in Rio de ...

Bellator Fighting Championships won't make its live debut on SpikeTV until early 2013, but the first great challenge of the company's brave new future may come much sooner than that. Three months from now, Bellator's longest standing and best know...

LOS ANGELES -- Two years ago, Michael Chandler was in the early stages of a transition that took him from collegiate wrestler at the University of Missouri to professional mixed martial artist. After three fights, the aggressive lightweight had done ...

We've come to expect, even look forward to the passionate postfight ramblings of the Diaz brothers. It wouldn't really feel like a Diaz victory, after all, without copious shout-outs to the homies. It wouldn't feel right without some chest-thumpin...

With 18 years and more than 50 pro fights under his belt, veteran mixed martial artist Akihiro Gono retired Friday night.

Since capturing the Bellator lightweight title on Nov. 19 from Eddie Alvarez with a fourth-round submission, Michael Chandler has refused to rest on his laurels. Chandler is determined not to be a one-and-done champion so he has upped the ante in...