Lightweight champ Michael Chandler discusses goals for Bellator 180 and beyond

Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler carries a journal to jot down his aspirations.

Of course, first on that list is the defense of his title, which he’ll attempt at Bellator 180 on June 24 at Madison Square Garden. Chandler (16-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) meets Brett Primus (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) on the pay-per-view main card of “Bellator: NYC.”

But when it comes to his long-term goals, the champ feels there’s a lot more work to be done.

“I just feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of how good I am,” Chandler told MMAjunkie Radio. “It’s really starting to click these last couple of fights and the performances I’m putting on.”

Chandler rebounded from the loss of his title in 2013 and a pair of losses to current UFC lightweight Will Brooks with a quartet of wins, recapturing the belt this past June against Patricky Freire.

After his skid, Chandler went back to the drawing board and tested his skills at different gyms, moving to Power MMA in Arizona and then to the Blackzilians in South Florida. He now works with former Blackzilians coach Henri Hooft, among others.

With momentum behind him, Chandler is ranked No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings and thinks the best is yet to come for what he can accomplish in Bellator.

“I see and envision myself doing things in this sport, with my technique and with my precision and with my speed and my power, that I didn’t think was possible up until the last year or so,” he said. “I see it, and feel it coming to fruition.

“I want to outperform myself. I want people to say, ‘Man, that guy is something special. That guy is talented, and that guy says what he means and means what he says and he works extremely hard. If he can do it, then I can accomplish this crazy dream that I have that all these people told me I couldn’t do.'”

A wrestler from small-town High Ridge, Miss., Chandler said his blue-collar work ethic has guided him through the ups and downs of a long career in MMA. And while a large percentage of top-ranked fighters are out of his reach in Bellator, he sees no limitations to the legacy he can build.

“A big shot is just a little shot that never stopped shooting,” Chandler said. “That’s really what I have been and what I always be. Through all of this, it’s about that constant improvement and making a better life for my wife and my future kids. I’m on that road, and I couldn’t be happier.

“This next chapter of my life is just about breaking those barriers, continuing to outperform my previous self, just get better every single day, and inspire and motivate people. And along the way, win a ton of fights and put food on the table.”

For more info on Bellator 180 and “Bellator: NYC,” check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.