Michael Chandler Finally Opens Up About ‘Baddy' Beatdown
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Mangled Mike has finally broken his silence.
It has been 47 days since Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Paddy Pimblett destroyed Michael Chandler inside the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, at UFC 314 (watch highlights), and for the most part, 'Iron' Mike kept quiet other than a few motivational posts.
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Well, today, Chandler has finally opened up about his stoppage loss.
'I feel like I couldn't get my rhythm. I couldn't get my range,' Chandler told MMA Junkie. 'Paddy fights long, he fights with his chin way up in the air, and he's pretty far away from you. Throws a lot of kicks to keep the distance, and I felt like I was just kind of getting settled in and obviously, took the knee to the face, and then got taken down, and that was the end of it. It's one of those deals where you learn. Hat's off to Paddy, he had a great gameplan, went out there and got the win.'
Chandler has no regrets about taking the fight, even though he had a lingering knee injury that hindered him.
'I was coming off a knee injury that I needed to get some rehab on and some physical therapy and all that stuff,' Chandler said. 'It started feeling better, and I'm the kind of guy where I'd rather just go than sit around and wait, you know? Maybe that was the wrong decision, but I was moving around well in the training camp...The decision to take the fight pretty early was my decision and my decision alone.'
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As for when the former Bellator champion wants to return, he is taking the summer off to enjoy being a fan of the sport but knows there are plenty of names for his next outing (including a Conor McGregor fight that he has teased).
'I'm definitely going to take a little bit of time off. I'm going to take the summer off,' Chandler said. 'I've already spoken to the UFC that, 'Hey, don't call me for any summer shows.' I will show up, I will be a fan, I will do some appearances.'
'I will be a part of the UFC brand, but I need to take a little bit of time off and heal my body up. Then we'll see what's next. There's obviously a ton of different names out there, ton of possibilities, and we'll see,' Chandler concluded.
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