Michael Chandler had a lot on the line on his way to his UFC 314 collision with Paddy Pimblett.
The Co-Main event became a huge moment for the rising Brit when Pimblett Chandler stopped in a dominant way to achieve the biggest victory of his career.
Chandler has already discussed the loss after many have seen the matchup as a crossroads fight between two competitors who are at different ends of their career.
At the age of 39, this was the chance of the former Challenger title to show that he is still at the top of the lightweight division by ending the profit of his opponent.
Although Pimblett proved some doubts wrong, a teammate of his opponent recently revealed that he had doubts about 'Iron' Mike's chances after he had seen him prepare for his seventh performance in the Octagon.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Jared Gordon wonders the dedication of Michael Chandler for his UFC 314 training camp
In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, Jared Gordon revealed that he was not completely surprised by the way in which the Co-Main event of UFC 314 took place.
The UFC light weight has ties with both men involved in the corner of Paddy Pimblett on UFC 282, while he is a teammate of Michael Chandler's at Kill Cliff FC.
Gordon said that although he had never postponed the former Bellator star, he started to question Chandler's chances after he had seen him go through his training camp.
“I always thought he could beat him because he could catch him with a one, but like, I saw the way he was training, with whom he was training and I thought, I don't think he's going to do it. Mike is my buddy, but that's just how I felt in it.”
April 12 in Miami was the second fight of the former title Challenger after the long break he took after his loss against Dustin Poirier, where he waited for a matchup with Conor McGregor who could not materialize.
Many thought it would be difficult for him to go back to the top 15 of the division immediately after he did not fight for two years and Gordon believes that although it is understandable why Chandler would not train as hard as he ever did, there were some questions about his dedication this time.
“Not going out completely, not really training with boys who look like Paddy who are going to push him. I mean, I understand. He is older in the fighting game.
“He has been in wars, so there is only so much abuse that you should take in the gym and he gets a boat load money, so for him it is probably if:” Go through the fight, get paid, whatever happens, and hopefully I will win. ” That is exactly what it seemed. “
Jared Gordon is not surprised that Paddy Pimblett overlooked him at UFC 282
Since they met in the Octagon on UFC 282, Paddy Pimblett has recorded that he overlooked Jared Gordon in what was ultimately the most difficult fight of his UFC career to date.
Pimblett won a unanimous decision, despite the fact that anything but 1 of the 24 media scores had the fight in favor of the American with many who give Gordon all three rounds.
'Flash' has since shared a number of friendly exchanges with 'The Baddy' and stated in the interview with Inside Fighting that he is not surprised that the Brit understood him based on his UFC run.
“I knew that he would be surprised if we came in. I mean, when you look at my record, the guys I fought, I actually only lost from the best guys.
“I had a good time before the rice fight … I could see how he could look past me, but I knew I was going to give him a run for his money and beat him what I did.”