The Co-Main event of UFC 314 was seen as a huge intersection fight for two major personalities in the lightweight division.
After opening a nasty cut on Michael Chandler with a well -drilled knee, Paddy Pimblett assured the victory through the ground and pound to enter the top 10 at 155 pounds.
There was a lot of mutual respect between Pimblett and Chandler, but that did not hide how important this matchup was for both men who are at very different points in their career.
'The Baddy' will now continue to what will probably be a title -eliminator while he continues to climb the ranking in search of a title shot.
As far as 'Iron' Mike, this defeat, sends him back to the drawing table with Chandler who refers to the support of his loved ones in a post-fight statement.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Michael Chandler uses his UFC 314 loss to teach his son a valuable life lesson
Michael Chandler immediately left the Octagon and ran back after he had stopped in the Kaseya Center in Miami in the third round.
A huge night in his career was made so emotional for him because of the fact that his eldest son was present on April 12.
Chandler and his wife Brie have two sons and they are both clearly huge sources of motivation for the 38-year-old veteran every time he takes the walk to the Octagon.
The result may not have gone its way last weekend, but the resident of Missouri was able to convert a negative experience into a positive thing for his eldest son, HAP.
Chandler posted a video on Instagram where he comforted his son Backstage and told him to repeat his words to him to learn a vital lesson about adversity.
“Okay, listen. We're going to work extremely hard, we're going to try to do the best we can. Sometimes we are going to fall short. Watch shortage, but we will always keep our head up. Even if you get some cuts on your face. I love you, toast.”
Chandler thought about this conversation in the caption of the post where he wrote about what his son experienced and what he hoped to achieve by sending him this message.
“Moments. A Nutella Cheers. This was the first time that HAP personally saw me losing a fight. He was full of emotions back, and rightly so. He was thrown into the well of a valley that he did not see coming.
“The blood and swelling only worsened the fears of how Dad did while he was holding my hand when I was stitched. But in the midst of the chaos and pain was a perfect time to show him how a man reacts. Don't tell them, let them see.
Michael Chandler should retire unless he is offered something special
It is clear from Michael Chandler's reaction to his loss on UFC 314 that there are his number one priority for his family.
With that in mind 'Iron' Mike should drive into the sunset and while his career in the Octagon has not started planning, it certainly yielded a number of incredible moments.
We have now seen what it looks like when he accepts the younger rising contenders in the division and it is not something that fans will shout to see again.
Unless the UFC is able to put something together where it is confronted with a colleague veteran or an established name in a large selection framework for a final dance, this is perhaps the right moment for Chandler to bend.