Paddy Pimblett Gives a Reality Check on Michael Chandler Having ‘Too Much Power’ After UFC 314 Domination

Michael Chandler, a former three-time Bellator champion, despite being on a losing streak, had many people rooting for him against Paddy Pimblett. Why? Well, the 39-year-old was frequently highlighted for possessing unmatched power as a lightweight and having a fast-paced, aggressive approach to his fight. Even Dustin Poirier, who doesn’t have the best impression of Chandler, sided with him on beating the Englishman, and guess what? The Liverpudlian loved proving everyone wrong.

‘Iron’ Mike may have had more losses than wins in the UFC with a record of 2-5, but the ‘excitement’ factor in his fights always tends to make fans tune in to see what he does next. Joe Rogan is also one of those who always believed Chandler was too big for a lightweight, even though he’s not as tall. With size always comes power, and ex-lightweight champion Charles Oliveira also spoke about this when giving his two cents on Chandler’s UFC 314 outing against Pimblett.

“Michael Chandler is a very aggressive and explosive guy. I have nothing but respect for him. He has power in his hands,” Charles Oliveira told ‘Oddspedia’. Well, how the tables turned as Pimblett went all guns blazing and was very calculative when he fought Chandler. The Liverpudlian did get clipped a few times with ‘Iron’s but he dominated him on the feet and the ground, finishing Chandler off with a flurry of ground-and-pound strikes by Round 3.

After his triumphant outing at UFC 314, Pimblett couldn’t help but take a dig at all his doubters who counted him out. And that, too, because of Chandler’s power, which they claimed to be exponential in comparison to the Englishman. “After everyone saying mikes power would be too much for me on the feet. I think yous all realised it was the other way around real quick,” Pimblett stated in an Instagram post.

So what’s next for Pimblett? Who’s on his radar next? Well, the Scouser who claims to never get knocked out is aiming straight for the top of the food chain. Beating Michael Chandler, and how he did, has certainly put him in the conversation, and he sent a warning immediately after his win to the contenders in the top echelon.

Paddy Pimblett makes a proud statement on ‘proving’ people wrong

Paddy Pimblett was in an uneasy place when his controversial win against Jared Gordon at UFC 282 made him a prime target among fans on social media. The momentum he had was almost derailed as fans called him out for not being able to live up to the hype. He was believed to be the next coming of Conor McGregor, after all. Having bested Chandler, whom he respects a lot for the body of work the former Bellator champ’s done, Pimblett claimed he had learnt to deflect the negativity and is looking to fight the fighters ranked above him, especially the top 5.

“I respect Michael Chandler. He’s a great fighter, but I’m the new guard… I’m coming for these top 10, 12, and now, top 5 fighters,” Paddy Pimblett said in his UFC 314 post-fight interview. “I’m coming for this belt. Laugh at me all you want. People have laughed at me my whole life while I’ve been coming up, thinking I won’t amount to nothing. And I just keep proving you all wrong every step of the way.”

Paddy Pimblett is now ranked #8 in the most stacked division in the UFC. Who do you think should fight next? Let us know in the comments down below.

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