Paddy Pimblett can’t blame Michael Chandler for doing everything he could to win, even if it occasionally skirts the rules.
Ahead of the five-round co-main event showdown at UFC 314 in April, Pinblett worked on accusations targeting Chandler from past opponents, leaving him out of his way to cheat during the fight. Justin Gesche claims that Chandler does “almost everything” during the fight outside the rules, and Dustin Poirier routinely slams the former Bellator champion for sticking his fingers to his mouth when he fought in 2022.
On his part, Pinblett didn’t seem overly concerned about the matter, and in fact he was blamed for the judges not doing the job of catching Chandler for this act and punishing him for it. The perfect example is that Chandler almost pulled away from his late comeback with Charles Oliveira this November.
“If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying to,” Pinblett said of Chandler as he spoke to John Annick, a man from UFC Playby. “Do you know what I mean? That’s a reference. If he was just throwing a hammer fist behind Charles Oliveira’s head, then Charles had to move his head.
“I saw that fight. He clenched him in his fist 12 times in the back of his head, about 12 times, and he knows what he’s doing!”
Pinblet says that some of the blame will return to Oliveira for not getting in the way or at least not pleading for what is going on with the judge.
“If I were in that position and I was Charles, I’m referring, what are you doing here?” Pinblett said. “It was a bad judge soon.”
The situation Poirier handled was different. Because he openly admitted to biting Chandler’s fingers when he entered his mouth during the fight. Poilier believes he would have defeated one of Chandler’s numbers if he hadn’t had the mouthguard he had worn during the fight.
Pimblett promises that during his fight at UFC 314 he will do the exact same thing to Chandler.
“Obviously I’ve seen Poirier’s stuff too,” Pinblett said. “He said he tried to fish him up to get chalk or something like that. If that happens, I’ll bite his finger and try to cut it with my teeth.”
Because of all the flacks that Chandler is sometimes allegedly operating outside the rules from past opponents, Pinblett isn’t worried that it might be involved in their fight.
If anything, Pinblet might actually praise Chandler for doing all his strength to win the battle.
“I always say if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying to,” Pinblett said with a laugh.
When it comes to his actual fighting predictions, Pinblet sees himself winning, but he doesn’t know exactly how it will happen. He certainly knows that Chandler is firing gunfires for knockouts.
“He comes out and he’ll definitely take your head off, swing your overhand and try to do a left hook. “Michael Chandler is not going to be the first person.”
“Like last time, I’m going to put him at the end of my range and kick him and get him irritated and I think I can land a knockout blow as he steps in. He knows I’ll submit him.”