Michael Chandler is no stranger to ankle injuries. But he has never experienced what happened during his Bellator MMA title loss to Brent Primus last weekend in New York.
Chandler (16-4) surrendered his Bellator lightweight title to a massive underdog in Primus (8-0) at Bellator NYC last Saturday. The fight ended in the first round, when referee Todd Anderson paused the action to evaluate Chandler's left ankle, which was visibly unstable within the first minute.
To many watching, it looked as if Chandler had suffered some type of broken bone. His entire ankle gave out any time he shifted his weight. The bout was ultimately called, handing Primus a TKO win.
As it turns out, Chandler did not suffer a broken bone. He was taken to a hospital on fight night and diagnosed with a nerve issue called "foot drop."
"It's damage to a nerve," Chandler told ESPN.com. "It pretty much shut down the whole lower part of my left leg. I wasn't able to step anymore. It's called foot drop -- basically, you can't lift your foot."
Chandler, of Missouri, said he had a good idea his ankle wasn't broken when the New York State Athletic Commission waved the fight off.
He even told that to the physicians who examined him in the cage, and said he wanted to still fight. The NYSAC erred on the side of caution and called it off, which Chandler admits he can't fault them for.
"They stopped the fight because they thought I had a broken leg," Chandler said. "I looked the doctors dead in the eye and said, 'It better be broken. It better be mangled if you stop this.'
"I had my orthopedic doctor with me when we rode in the ambulance and he said, 'Michael, you're not going to want to hear this -- but I can tell you right now it's not broken.'
"That's when I came to the realization this is just an unfortunate situation. The cageside doctors probably do have to stop it if I'm falling all over the place. But man, I wanted them to let me fight."
Chandler says the one positive he can take away is how he handled the injury prior to the fight being stopped. Even on one leg, Chandler dropped Primus with a counter right hand in the center of the cage and chased after him with haymakers even though he was basically falling over while doing so.
Bellator president Scott Coker has already expressed interest in an immediate rematch, which Chandler said should take place in "the next couple months."
During Saturday's postfight news conference, Primus said he has hurt sparring partners with low leg kicks in the past and took full credit for Chandler's injury. Chandler, meanwhile, said it occurred when he stepped backward awkwardly during an exchange.
He promised their upcoming rematch will have a far more conclusive result.
"My ankle is something I've struggled with the last couple years," Chandler said. "This was a freak thing, it blowing out, but ankle injuries are nothing new to me. I'm sure there is a rehab program I can find to get me back to form. It's something I need to take a little more seriously.
"Brent Primus is a nobody and unfortunately for him, he won't even get credit for this. You understand the fear that must be inside his heart? He couldn't finish me and I was on one leg. He's taking pictures with my belt right now. He better take as many as he can, so he can remember the 30 or 60 days he was a Bellator champion."