While Paddy Pimblett is expected to make his Octagon return in the coming months, the rising UFC star has yet to secure an opponent.
Pimblett recently hinted at a potential clash with Michael Chandler, who is also in search of his next fight after his highly anticipated bout against Conor McGregor fell through last year.
Chandler, who has lost four of his last five fights, spent two years pursuing the McGregor matchup before finally moving on. Now, he’s eyeing other opportunities, including a showdown with “The Baddy.”
“You might talk to a lot of people from a fight perspective that (think) Paddy might be more dangerous than Conor at this point,” Chandler told InstantCasino.com (via Newsweek). “We haven’t seen Conor in three years. Name-wise? Yeah, you’re not gonna get a bigger name than Conor, but when it comes to training for an opponent (like Paddy), it brings me back to the Bellator days.”
Pimblett is undefeated in the UFC with a 6-0 record. His most recent victory was a submission win over King Green at UFC 304 last summer in London. Despite the Liverpudlian’s streak, Chandler believes many fans see him as the heavy favorite in this matchup.
“I’m supposed to beat Paddy Pimblett in a lot of people’s eyes, so that wells up even more motivation in me,” Chandler continued. “He’s a young and hungry guy. He’s got his whole career ahead of him, whereas I’ve been doing this for 10 years longer than him, so I like it, man. Whether I’m a 1000-1 underdog or a 1000-1 favorite, I put in all the work necessary to be successful on fight night.”
Chandler also acknowledged the financial and stylistic appeal of the fight, while maintaining his respect for Pimblett.
“I like the idea of fighting Paddy Pimblett and making a ton of money,” Chandler said. “I don’t want to say it’s an easy fight, because I could go out there and slip on a banana peel and get knocked out in front of everybody, but let’s just say I like the fight stylistically. I like Paddy as a human. I think he’s one of the good ones. And with that being said, that does not stop me from wanting to separate him from consciousness.”
