Paddy Pimblett: “I think I am going to finish Chandler in the first two rounds.”

Paddy Pimblett: “I think I am going to finish Chandler in the first two rounds.”

“It’s the perfect fight at the perfect time.” The words of UFC lightweight title contender Paddy Pimblett.

Next month, Pimblett will head to Miami, Florida, to take on the former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314. Pimblett is undefeated in the UFC and hasn’t lost a fight inside the cage since 2018.

Since leaving Cage Warriors to sign with the UFC in 2021, Pimblett has won six straight fights and is now ranked inside the top fifteen, and the 38-year-old Chandler represents not only his toughest challenge to date but also an opportunity for the 30-year-old Pimblett to gatecrash the top ten and put himself within a fight or two of a UFC title challenge.

“He’s ranked number seven, but he’s lost his last couple of fights,” Pimblett says of his next opponent. “I’m ranked twelve, and I have won all my UFC fights. I am looking to come in and show everyone the new breed of lightweights.”

Pimblett is the slight betting favourite to inflict a third straight defeat on Chandler. The American can be guilty of letting seemingly winnable fights slip away, and Pimblett feels that is something he will exploit on April 12th.

“I don’t think Chandler has got the best fight IQ,” Pimblett told FightPost. “I think his game plan goes out of the window when he starts having a scrap. I think my fight IQ is one of my best attributes. I plan a game plan better than anyone. That’s why I beat most people in a fight. So, that is why I will win.

“I think I am going to finish Chandler in the first two rounds. I’ll either catch him when he is leaping in with a shot by knocking him out or ground and pounding him. Or I’ll submit him because I don’t think he can handle me on the floor.”

Despite winning six fights since he entered the UFC just under four years ago, Pimblett still feels he isn’t getting the plaudits that he deserves.

“I think people are still sleeping on me,” Pimblett says of that suggestion. “I don’t get the respect I deserve. But it does work in my favour. People still underestimate me, and I think that is what Chandler is doing. He trains with Jared Gordon, and he thinks Jared beat me. But I am a completely different fighter from the one I was in 2022. So I hope he is just watching the tape of the Jarod fight because I am not that same fighter anymore.”

A win over the 7th-ranked Chandler would see Pimblett close in on a precious UFC title shot. Many believe one more win after Chandler would secure Pimblett that coveted opportunity. Pimblett agrees. “When I win this fight, I move into the top ten, and I am then only one win away from a title shot.”

But an old rival has resurfaced on his radar. The former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has recently vacated his belt and moved up to lightweight and is chasing a fight with the current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. A fight with Topuria, with a ready-made narrative, is an obvious one to make. With or without a title on the line, a fight between Pimblett and Topuria will do some serious numbers. The Liverpool fighter understands what could be on the horizon.

“Everyone keeps asking me about Ilia Topuria. I don’t want him to win the belt because I think he’s a sausage. I don’t think he beats Islam, but if he does, I don’t think I will need another fight. There is a built-in storyline with me and Ilia. A fight between us would be a big PPV fight. It’s probably one of the biggest fights out there.”

Since entering the UFC in 2021, Pimblett has become one of the biggest stars in the organisation at a time when the UFC badly needs a new generation to come through as it goes through its latest transitioning period. If Pimblett keeps winning, his popularity will only keep growing.

Pimblett has an iconic walkout, which adds even more to the Paddy Pimblett show. There is something truly unique about it. “My walkout is the best thing out there,” Pimblett told me. “It’s a very special feeling walking out the way I do, everyone going bananas and just loving it. No matter where I am in the world, it’s special. I can’t wait to do it at Anfield. That would be the most special. I can appreciate it while I am walking to the cage. I get right into it. I love it. I love all my fans. I can’t thank them enough. I wouldn’t be where I am without my fans. It’s that simple.”