UFC Veteran Breaks Down the Awkward Reality of Paddy Pimblett vs. Michael Chandler
Rising UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett thrives on animosity.
Through much of his career inside the Octagon, ‘The Baddy’ has had a reputation for picking fights and being overtly obnoxious toward his opponents. Some of it’s for show, but Chael Sonnen believes that it remains an important part of Pimblett’s fight prep.
Discussing Pimblett’s return to action at UFC 314 against former Bellator champion ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler, ‘The American Gangster’ suggested that the lack of “personal animosity” between the two could pave the way for an unusually awkward encounter in Miami.
“The fact of the awkwardness—like, there are certain guys that have heat with Paddy ‘The Baddy.’ Chandler is not one of those guys,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “And Paddy ‘The Baddy’ has always used a little bit of personal animosity as a way of motivating himself. And Paddy will go find it.
“If you don’t start with him, if you don’t have heat with him, Paddy will come and attack you just so you attack him—just so he can have some personal standing in the fight. And that’s just not a component here.”
Paddy Pimblett and Michael Chandler desperately need a win at UFC 314 for very different reasons
Whatever Pimblett is doing, it certainly seems to be working. ‘The Baddy’ is a perfect 6-0 under the UFC banner with his biggest wins coming against Tony Ferguson and Bobby ‘King’ Green. If he notches another W against Chandler, the Liverpudlian should find himself sitting snugly in the lightweight top 10 for the first time.
Meanwhile, Chandler will be looking for his third win inside the Octagon since making his promotional debut more than five years ago. Iron’ has gone 2-4 thus far with his only wins coming against Dan Hooker and the aforementioned ‘El Cucuy.
To be fair, Chandler’s losses have come against some absolute killers in the lightweight division, including Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira on two separate occasions. But a win over one of MMA’s most talked-about prospects could go a long way toward getting Chandler’s career back on track.
