Michael Chandler Vs. Paddy Pimblett Predictions – ‘He Gets A Knockout’
Michael Chandler faces Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 this weekend, as MMA insiders gave their predictions.
Chandler has plenty to prove following his last performance against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. He suffered a unanimous decision defeat, losing the rematch just like he had done in their first fight. Chandler received a lot of criticism after appearing to punch Oliveira at the back of the head. Pimblett addressed that by choosing to blame the referee for not intervening, while Chandler is not fazed by the backlash.
“I mean, the narrative is tough, man. People don’t really know me. Unless you’re in my inner circle, you don’t know who I truly am outside of [being] in front of the camera. People have their sneaky suspicions that I play nice in front of the camera, and I’m a bad guy behind the camera.
“You’re always going to have those accusations, right? “But I know who I am, and I know who I am at my core; I’m a guy who tries to do things right, tries to treat people right, do things with honor and respect. So the cheating narrative is a little tough for me, but also, it’s all part of the court of public opinion, man,” Chandler said
Pimblett’s confidence is high following his last performance against King Green at UFC 304. That was the first time he had beaten a ranked opponent, as his performance got him noticed by UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. The winner will take a step closer to a future title shot.
Chandler Vs. Pimblett
“This is an interesting one. I’m probably going to go with Michael Chandler, even though he’s a bit older than Paddy. Still, I’ll pick Chandler for this one,” Cory SandHagen
“This might sound crazy, but I think I’m going with Paddy. Just because of the jiu-jitsu — I think he can take Chandler down, hold him there, or maybe even submit him,” Youssef Zalal
“Paddy was an old foe of mine — he’s a completely different fighter now. It’s really going to come down to wrestling vs. grappling. Paddy’s got the better grappling, while Chandler’s got the better wrestling. If Chandler keeps it standing, I think he gets a knockout. If Paddy gets it to the ground and takes the back, he might get a submission. So it’s either Paddy by submission or Chandler by knockout. I’m leaning toward Chandler by knockout,” Julian Erosa
“I’m going with Chandler. Paddy’s got great grappling, but I think Chandler will nullify that. His power and striking might just be too much,” Austin Vanderford
“Everyone always says Michael Chandler, but Paddy Pimblett is a big dude — huge for the division. He’s got really solid grappling, and he fights long. Everyone thought Bobby Green would piece him up, but Paddy made it look easy. He’s young and hungry. I think Paddy gets it done,” Cody Brundage
“I didn’t give Paddy much credit before, but after the Bobby Green fight, I was impressed. That said, I don’t rate Chandler’s overall skill that highly,” Jose Delgado
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