Paddy Pimblett won’t make the same mistakes that Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira made against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler.
While Poirier, Gaethje, and Oliveira all earned wins over Chandler, they either went the distance or faced some early adversity against the former Bellator champion. In Oliveira’s case, both. But ‘The Baddy’ insists that his game plan at UFC 314 in Miami won’t consist of playing into Chandler’s strengths by standing and trading with him.
“He’s fought Poirier, Gaethje, Charles—all top lightweights—but I think I’ll make it look easier than they did,” Pimblett said in an interview with the promotion. “They play into Mike’s style by standing and brawling with him. Anywhere this fight goes, I’m confident I’ll win.
“I think I’ll finish Mike in two rounds. He lunges in with his punches; I see myself catching him or submitting him.”
Paddy Pimblett looks to keep his undefeated record inside the Octagon intact at UFC 314
Thus far, Pimblett is a perfect 6-0 inside the Octagon, including a first-round submission victory over King Green in his last outing at UFC 304 in Manchester. Before that, he bested former interim lightweight titleholder Tony Ferguson.
Meanwhile, Chandler will look to snap a two-fight losing skid after coming up short against ‘The Diamond’ and ‘Do Bronx’ in his last two promotional appearances. Overall, ‘Iron’ is a mere 2-4 since signing with the promotion, his only victories coming against Dan Hooker and the aforementioned ‘El Cucuy.
Despite the struggles, Chandler is still clinging to the No. 7 spot in the lightweight rankings. However, a loss to Pimblett will likely drop him out of the top 10 and put him in a precarious position in one of the UFC’s most talent-rich divisions.
