Michael Chandler left the octagon before Bruce Buffer even had time to announce the outcome of his fight with Paddy Pinblett at UFC 314, but he finally broke his silence in a brief statement released on social media on Monday.
The one-off UFC title challenger suffered a three-round stop loss after Pimblet took him to the ground and dropped a barrage of elbows and punches forced by the judge to finish the fight. This loss dropped Chandler 2-5 in the UFC, and his loss on Saturday helped him out for the third consecutive overall.
He didn’t talk directly about pinblets or how the fight unfolded, but Chandler reminded him that there’s something even more important to him than what happens in the UFC.
“I’ll never leave the fight,” Chandler wrote on Twitter. “This photo sums it up. As long as I hold those heartbeats and hands, I’ve already won.”
Never leave the battle. This photo sums it all up. As long as I have these heartbeats and hands, I have already won. pic.twitter.com/q7f1gb4khd
– Michael Chandler (@mikechandlermma) April 14, 2025
The photo accompanying Chandler’s post comes from his wife, Brie, who held hands with his son who was attending the fight last Saturday night. Also, Chandler went back home to spend time with her new daughter. He was born before he stepped into the octagon to fight Pinblet in UFC 314.
Now a father of three, Chandler always prioritizes his family over everything else, and when it comes to his job at the UFC, he pretty much defines his takeaway after a tough night in the office.
As far as his career is concerned, Chandler clearly doesn’t deal with what comes next as he sees a long climb on the ladder following his defeat to Pinblett.
Despite the losses, UFC CEO Dana White praised Chandler for his toughness and willingness to fight at all times, calling him Arturo Gatti of UFC, famous for pretending to be some of the biggest slugs in history.