Between his 'Notorious' payday falling through to losing his rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, lightweight veteran Michael Chandler just can't catch a break.
And it's not gotten much better for 'Iron' since that decision loss to 'do Bronx', with multiple former MMA champions and even a veteran referee roasting him for what many perceive to be repeated 'cheating'.
Former Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus has been feuding with Michael Chandler for several years; the pair were all tied up at 1-1 before 'Iron' made his big-money move to the UFC in 2021.
If you thought that those few years of promotional separation would dampen Primus' hatred towards Chandler, you'd be wrong - speaking to MMA Fighting earlier this week, the American would launch another scathing verbal assault as he labeled Chandler a "cheating little punk."
"He looked like cr** in his last fight, I could not believe that. I think Chandler looked like cr**. His footwork, he was falling everywhere. He was throwing his right hand like he was throwing a baseball. I was not impressed with his performance [and] his callout was kind of cringey.
"I don't like that guy. I think Chandler, he's a cheater. I feel like he's a dirty fighter. I just don't like that guy at all. Watching Oliveira pick him apart like that was kind of fun to see for sure. I liked it."
Primus echoed many of the same sentiments of veteran referee John McCarthy; simply put, the time away from the octagon waiting for Conor McGregor has decimated Chandler's once-outstanding skillset.
"That's what happens when you take two years off waiting for somebody. You could totally tell the ring rust in him, and I just think he looked like crap... It was kind of an embarrassing performance from Chandler. You sit out for two years and wait for somebody, that's what happens."
One of the most controversial moments of that UFC 309 clash with Oliveira was in the fifth round when Chandler repeatedly threw hammer fists to the back of the Brazilian's head.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the first time that Chandler had been accused of purposefully cheating in the octagon; having famously fisk-hooked Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier at UFC 281.
"That guy's such a cheating little punk," continued Primus, adding "I heard Dustin Poirier say he doesn't want to fight him because he's just a dirty cheater - putting his fingers in his eyes and blowing blood in his eyes.
"I just think he's a dirty cheater. Just a dirty cheater guy and if he's not going to win or have his way, he's going to make up excuses and try to cheat. I was pretty happy to see Oliveira pick him apart like that. Oliveira's the man."
Brent Primus returns to action next week at the PFL 2024 Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Lightweight Tournament Final against Gadzhi Rabadanov - scheduled for Friday, November 29.
Despite being undefeated in his last five fights, including a solid UD win over Clay Collard in August, Primus is the heavy betting underdog to the 23-4-2 Russian, with only 16% of Tapology User Picks siding with the American.
Primus vs Rabadanov is one of 10 outstanding title fights set to go down in Riyadh, with the likes of Brendan Loughnane, Dakota Ditcheva, Taila Santos, Impa Kasanganay, and Magomed Umalatov also to compete with PFL gold on the line.
Can the Oregon native turn back the clock at 39 years old and claim championship glory once again? Find out on Friday, November 29 live on ESPN+.