MMA Knockout

Paddy Pimblett mauls Michael Chandler at UFC 314, calls out multiple lightweight stars

"The Baddy" is closing in on a lightweight title shot.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

A five-round fight between top lightweight contenders Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett served as the co-main event for UFC 314 at Miami's Kaseya Center.

Former Bellator titleholder Chandler arrived in the UFC to considerable fanfare in 2021, and across his first six outings in the promotion "Iron" impressively collected five post-fight bonuses.

The co-main event matchup at UFC 314 provided Pimblett with a chance to score the biggest win of his career, with "The Baddy" lined as a small pre-fight favorite to best Chandler after starting his own UFC career with six-straight wins.

READ MORE: UFC 314: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes free live stream results & highlights

Paddy Chandler
(Zuffa LLC)

Pimblett Decimates Chandler At UFC 314

The PPV portion of UFC 314 opened with back-to-back finishes from Dominick Reyes and Jean Silva, and Chandler's former Bellator foe Patricio Pitbull also came up short in his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez before "Iron" and Pimblett entered the cage for their co-main event matchup.

Pimblett made good use of a clear size advantage in the opening minute by chipping away at Chandler with kicks, but it didn't take long for the former Bellator champion to close the distance and bring the fight to the canvas with a big takedown.

"The Baddy" eventually worked back to his feet but still found himself pressed against the cage, and after a flying triangle attempt from Pimblett the two men returned to the center of the cage and traded strikes for the remainder of the first round.

The second round saw Pimblett increase his output on the feet before a low blow from Chandler brought things to a halt, and shortly after the restart the 38-year-old landed another takedown that was quickly reversed by "The Baddy".

READ MORE: UFC GOAT double-champ inducted to Hall of Fame

Things quickly got wild in the third round as Pimblett rocked Chandler before jumping on his back. "Iron" fought valiantly to escape, but his face was a bloody mess by the time the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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