Michael Chandler breaks silence on Paddy Pimblett, Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler talks to MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn in his first interview since his loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314.
Michael Chandler has no regrets taking the fight against Paddy Pimblett.
Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) dropped his third consecutive fight at UFC 314, which took place in April at Kaseya Center in Miami. It was a bloody outing for the former UFC title challenger, who was finished by Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the third round.
Speaking in an interview for the first time since the loss, Chandler broke his silence about what he believes went wrong inside the octagon that night in Miami.
“I feel like I couldn’t get my rhythm,” Chandler told MMA Junkie. “I couldn’t get my range. Obviously, Paddy’s long. Paddy fights long, he fights with his chin way up in the air, and he’s pretty far away from you. Throws a lot of kicks to keep the distance, and I felt like I was just kind of getting settled in and obviously, took the knee to the face, and then got taken down, and that was the end of it. It’s one of those deals where you learn. Hat’s off to Paddy, he had a great gameplan, went out there and got the win.”
For Pimblett, it was the biggest win of his career thus far as he improved his unbeaten run in the UFC. For Chandler, though, it meant that his run against top lightweight competition was likely done as he fell to 2-5 under the UFC banner.
Ahead of the fight, there were questions about Chandler’s health. His teammate Jared Gordon recently spoke about the fight, stating that Chandler didn’t look like his normal self in training camp due to a knee issue. While Chandler acknowledges he could have stayed on the sidelines a little longer, he has no regret about the decision to fight in April.
“The decision to take the fight pretty early was my decision and my decision alone,” Chandler said. “The UFC gives you the option. My wife can advise me, my mentors can advise me, my managment can advise me, but that decision rests soley on my shoulders and how I felt, and why I thought taking a fight that quick made a lot of sense.
“Obviously, I was coming off a knee injury that I needed to get some rehab on and some physical therapy and all that stuff. It started feeling better, and I’m the kind of guy where I’d rather just go than sit around and wait, you know? Maybe that was the wrong decision, but I was moving around well in the training camp. It wasn’t a perfect training camp, that’s for dang sure, but I went out there and I took an L. No big deal, you know? That’s what we do.”
Chandler, 39, is in no rush to return to action. For now, he wants to focus on healing up while spending some quality time with the family over the next few months. He’s eyeing a return late in 2025 or early 2026, and despite his record in the UFC, there are plenty of entertaining options on the table.
“I’m definitely going to take a little bit of time off – I’m going to take the summer off,” Chandler said. “I’ve already spoken to the UFC that, ‘Hey, don’t call me for any summer shows.’ I will show up, I will be a fan, I will do some appearances, I will be a part of the UFC brand, but I need to take a little bit of time off and heal my body up. Then we’ll see what’s next. There’s obviously a ton of different names out there, ton of possibilities, and we’ll see.
