Paddy Pimblett's best chance: How Michael Chandler can play kingmaker for 'The Baddy' at UFC 314

Yahoo

03-03-2025

It arrived in the midst of a plethora of exciting UFC announcements, but the confirmation of surging Liverpudlian lightweight Paddy Pimblett facing Michael Chandler at UFC 314 somehow slipped under the radar. A classic matchup pitting a veteran title contender against an up-and-coming talent, the booking also elongates the pause in Chandler's labyrinthine quest to one day fight Conor McGregor.
Despite receiving no climax to his rivalry with 'The Notorious,' Chandler's name value has soared among casual sports fans due to his association with the divisive former two-division champion in the two years since they were pitted against each other as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 31."
While the reaction to the chief support of UFC 314 was largely positive, there were some who felt Pimblett had been handed a favorable challenge by the UFC due to his popularity. Skeptics aligned the Chandler booking with Pimblett's previous slate against Tony Ferguson, insisting it was another attempt by the brass to pave a new star's way to championship contention in the least risky way possible.
Chandler is undoubtedly the biggest and most relevant challenge of his Pimblett's career, but considering the fate of every UFC opponent who has claimed victory over the American, it's also the biggest opportunity 'The Baddy' has been granted in his 13 years as a professional.
Chandler became one of the power players of the 155-pound division upon his arrival to UFC in 2021. His first win over Dan Hooker immediately propelled him to a title shot, and even though he came up short against Charles Oliveira in his UFC 262 challenge for the vacant belt, he has remained one of the most important pieces of the UFC's lightweight puzzle.
In truth, the former king of Bellator has become a kingmaker for the UFC. Since suffering defeat in that vacant title clash with Oliveira, Chandler has compiled a record of 1-3. However, every single person who bested him during this run has immediately vaulted into the title fray.
After his showcase win over Chandler at UFC 268, Justin Gaethje was granted a title shot against Oliveira at UFC 274. When Dustin Poirier stopped Chandler at UFC 281, he was propelled into a vacant BMF tilt with Gaethje. On the back of Chandler's most recent defeat to Oliveira at UFC 309, Oliveira was thought to be next in line for champion Islam Makhachev and even sat cageside as Makhachev made short work of Oliveira's Brazilian countryman Renato Moicano in January at UFC 311.
With the arrival of UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria to lightweight, which came in the same battery of announcements as Chandler vs. Pimblett, UFC CEO Dana White has been reluctant to declare Topuria as Makhachev's next assignment, leading some to believe the opportunity has already been promised to 'Do Bronx.'
Pimblett silenced a lot of critics with his emphatic stoppage of King Green at UFC 304, but it also underlined the showmanship he has boasted since his early days with Cage Warriors. Competing on the turf of his beloved Liverpool Football Club's most storied rival, Manchester United, Pimblett's entrance at UFC 304 served as an injection of pure adrenaline for the sleepy spectators in the Co-op Live.
His two previous outings had not afforded him the same chorus of admiration. Despite beating Ferguson in 2023, the lack of a finish over the aging legend led to scrutiny. Similarly, after getting a split decision nod over Jared Gordon in 2022, Pimblett found himself under fire with many disagreeing with the judges' scorecards.
The need to provide a spectacle is more important in today's UFC than any other era, and Pimblett seems to know that Chandler is an ideal dance partner for that particular aspect of the fight game.
'I like him as a person and as a fighter, he's entertaining and he's a nice person,' said Pimblett on his latest vlog, which garnered the attention of 497,000 sets of eyeballs at the time of writing.
'I can remember saying last year or something, I don't think we'll end up fighting Chandler because we get on, but it's the UFC, lad. You have to fight whoever gets put in front of you and it's a good fight for my career.'
Based on the trajectories of Chandler's previous victorious opponents, a win being 'good' for Pimblett's career is putting it mildly. That said, Chandler poses threats 'The Baddy' could struggle with. He has far more tests across five rounds than his younger counterpart, who hasn't gone the championship distance since his Cage Warriors defeat to Soren Bak in 2018. Chandler also has a stellar wresting skill set, which he tends to disregard for a more fan-friendly style.
Topuria's entry to the division could become a very interesting wrinkle should Pimblett get his hand raised on April 12. There is no doubt that the former featherweight champion has accomplished far more than his lightweight adversary, but could anyone realistically rule out Pimblett being added to White's list of 'other options' for Topuria or Makhachev if he can get through Chandler at UFC 314?
To add to that, Chandler doesn't seem to be giving up his chase for McGregor. While Pimblett has previously called for a showdown with McGregor as far back as 2015, the European duo have been far more cordial as of late. Will that rule him out of impromptu callout from McGregor with a win UFC 314?
I wouldn't bet on it.