Exclusive Interview: UFC Star Michael Chandler Talks Being A Tequila Nerd & Partnership With Hiatus Tequila, Growing Up Watching Wrestling, Friendship With Ric Flair, Experience On The Ultimate Fighter, UFC 296, And More!

UFC Lightweight Contender Michael Chandler, fresh off his experience as a coach on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter against Conor McGregor, sat down with Bodyslam.net Correspondent Kyle Collison of the Knockouts & 3 Counts Podcast.

Chandler talked about how tequila has been his drink of choice for as long as he can remember, becoming a tequila nerd, and his new partnership with Hiatus Tequila. They also talked about if pro wrestling has influenced his post-fight promos, growing up watching wrestling as a kid, his friendship with Ric Flair and DDP, trying to keep up with the current product, and attending WWE SummerSlam in Nashville last year. Chandler was asked about his experience on The Ultimate Fighter, appearing in the most recent season as a coach against Conor McGregor. Chandler talked about his two fights with Eddie Alvarez, and Alvarez’s run in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, as well as his fight with Mike Perry. He also discussed the upcoming main event fight between Colby Covington and Leon Edwards at UFC 296, and so much more.

You can check out our exclusive interview with UFC Lightweight Star Michael Chandler, available to watch on our YouTube Channel, below.

Michael Chandler on tequila:

MC: “Tequila has always been my drink of choice since I can remember after I turned 21 it wasn’t my favorite drink too many good ones on the market if you will a lot of peoples first experience with tequila is well tequila.

Then when you start tasting some food ones and tasting different tasting profiles where they’re from highlands lowlands and all these different agaves and different agaves and I became a tequila nerd.”

On his partnership with Hiatus Tequila:

MC: “About a year ago a friend of mine introduced me to Hiatus Tequila and I loved it. I didn’t just want more of It on my shelf, I wanted to be more involved with it. I bought more of it passed it around to all my friends and they said it was the best tequila they’d ever had. Then I got in touch with our found Chris De Soto and I knew after our first conversation about Hiatus and his passion for creating it, what it means to him making tequila for tequila people. Making tequila the way it should be pure and authentic . We’re very much equally yoked I’m not the loudest and flashiest fighter but I stay true to myself when I fight I fight with reckless abandon so it was a perfect synergy. Now I am a part owner with Chris De soto.”

On his Drink of choice:

MC: “There’s so many great bartenders and mixologists out there so I definitely love me a good tequila cocktail or a hiatus cocktail. Every good tequila starts with a great blanco. I love to sip on the Blanco on the rocks chilled with an orange slice. I know Chris likes it Room Temperature. I like to sip our blanco, reposado and our anejo. Reposado is blanco aged 6 months and the anejo aged for 12 months. If I had it my way hiatus on the rocks is my drink of choice.”

On the thing that sets Hiatus Tequila apart from other tequilas:

MC: “You get that smooth finish without any flavors. Not to name names, but a lot of tequilas add notes or tastes you’re not supposed to taste, or adding things like glycerin, or rush, other rectification processes that makes tequila more palatable yet.”

Chandler was asked if there was any Pro Wrestling Influence in his Post fight Promos, and is he a Wrestling Fan?

MC: “I gotta be honest I’m not the biggest wrestling fan, but I watched it growing up. But I loosely keep up on it these days. I have a ton of respect for the sport and the entertainment value and what these guys and girls put their bodies through, and the tidbits us MMA fighters can pull from. There’s two different types of fighters, and one of those is the larger than life character or persona that someone creates, or mask just like a WWE Character. I’m friends with Ric Flair and DDP. Those were a couple of the guys I watched growing up big time. To see the way they’re able to wrestle with such passion and be able to captivate the people and make them feel something. Yeah, there’s some influence. So, if I can get on that microphone and scream with passion, and low and behold that’s probably one of the reasons I’m sitting here in the midst of getting ready to train for this Conor mcgregor fight.. because I called him out, called everybody out, and gave a hat tip to Ric Flair in my first fight for the UFC, when I said “this the greatest day of my professional life.” I’ve got a lot of respect for those guys, and I watch Wrestling whenever I can catch it. Oh, and I did go to Summerslam when it was here in Nashville.”

On his experience as a Coach on The Ultimate Fighter against Conor McGregor and Mando Gutierrez:

MC: “I love my man Mando, and he’s definitely one of those guys once I got to know em, and see em.. he was definitely someone I wish I could’ve had on my team. Happy to hear he got booked again, and he’s gonna do phenomenal.

The experience was great. I loved my eight guys.. but getting to know Mando, and all of the other guys.. and Conor, and his team.. it really was a good time and experience. And it was a great platform for Mando and all those guys.”

Michael Chandler talks about Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, and Eddie Alvarez vs. Mike Perry in BKFC:

MC: “I had two wars with Eddie, 2 to be exact. I’m a fan of Eddie. I love what he’s doing in BKFC, and yeah I saw the fight! I bought the PPV it’s definitely something I like to watch. I’ve bought a lot of those bare knuckle PPVs. The fact that these guys go in there bare knuckle, and can get cut when the first strike lands.. I wish Eddie a fast recovery with what happened with his face. What bare knuckle is doing is intriguing we all wanna watch it. Mike Perry has become a superstar over there in BKFC, and hats off to him. It’s cool to see him having success over there. I watch Bare Knuckle almost every time it’s on, and my hat goes off to Eddie because he is one of the most Violent guys we will ever see in the world of mixed martial arts.”

On Colby Covington vs Leon Edwards Main Eventing UFC 296:

KC: “You can’t talk about flamboyant personalities more than Colby Covington who do you got between him and Leon Edwards?”

MC: “I agree with what Dana White said.. if Kumaru Usman wasn’t in the UFC right now Colby would be champion. He is a force to be reckoned with every time he steps in there. I’m gonna be honest I thought it was a fluke when he KOd Kumaru, but then he came back and he beat him again. So I think Leon is coming in to this one with a new found Self Confidence. If I was a betting man, which I’m not.. I would lean on the side of Colby. I don’t think Leon is gonna be able to stop the takedown, and Colby has more tools in my opinion.”

What’s in the plans for Hiatus Tequila and for Michael Chandler in 2024:

MC: “I head to Indiana tomorrow for signings, and we just opened up in Tennessee.. and Nevada is next. So we’re slowly spreading through the country and we are gonna keep spreading hiatus tequila, and get it in as many glasses as possible and prove that we have a phenomenal and superior product. This was Chris De Sotos vision, and he built it and I’m here to perpetuate it and help it grow.. and this fight will give us a great opportunity to do that. And spread awareness.. and I’m excited because I love the product. I love the juice inside, but I love the people involved even more.”

(Please credit Bodyslam.net and Kyle Collison when using transcripts of our exclusive interview with UFC Star Michael Chandler.)

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