Following his recent loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, Michael Chandler has expressed interest in a fight against British star Paddy Pimblett.
After waiting so long for a fight against Conor McGregor, it was extremely unfortunate for 'Iron' Mike that it never came to fruition and instead he rematched Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.
Michael Chandler was confident that a win over 'Do Bronx' would give him the next lightweight title, but unfortunately Oliveira defeated him again, leaving his next move unknown.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Michael Chandler shows interest in a fight against Paddy Pimblett
After his loss to the former lightweight champion, Chandler once again called for a fight against 'The Notorious' Irishman in the hope that it could still be rebooked.
However, earlier this week McGregor revealed he is in talks to fight Logan Paul in a boxing bout in India, with Chandler not in his plans.
That leaves the 38-year-old potentially looking at the next best thing: Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett. The Brit is on a six-fight winning streak since joining the UFC and is currently ranked 13th.
Pimblett gained massive popularity in the United States prior to a controversial victory over Jared Gordon, which seemingly set him back a few steps.
“If Conor doesn't come back in the first half of 2025, I'll fight someone else,” Chandler told Lucky Block.
“There are other fights I am interested in… My legacy is not linked to the fight against Conor and I still have a lot of tread on the tires and many big fights to come.
“I have a lot of respect for Paddy Pimblett, he and I are very cordial and it is documented how I congratulated him after beating Tony Ferguson. We have a good relationship, but if we bump into each other, the goal is obviously to go there and do physical harm.
“Paddy versus myself will happen at some point, I'm not sure when, but that's definitely a fight that interests me. It's definitely a fight that would be fun for the fans… It will definitely happen… That would be absolutely huge,” he continued.
Michael Chandler believes Conor McGregor's UFC comeback is 50/50
Chandler will undoubtedly be linked to McGregor for the rest of both of their careers, despite the fact that they may never fight in the Octagon.
With the Irishman out of action for over three years, 'Iron' Mike believes it is 50/50 whether he will return or not, especially given the recent news of his rumored fight against Paul.
“I would like Conor McGregor to return to the UFC now on a 50/50 basis. That's my expectation and you're talking to a guy who had the assurance behind the scenes that he was going to come back,” Chandler said.
Related posts
Comments