Is Paddy Pimblett the future of the lightweight division? Or at least an important part of it now? As the old guard of the division approaches the end of its rope, the division needs new blood. But most weren’t expecting Pimblett to be it. At least before UFC 314. After all, the Englishman had become positively hated due to his reaction to what most consider an unfair decision win against Jared Gordon at UFC 280.
The Liverpool fighter went from being beloved and hyped to being termed over-hyped in the course of one night. But with his demolition of Michael Chandler en route to a one-sided TKO victory at their UFC 314 clash on Saturday, Pimblett has won back a lot of fans and got a lot of praise from the MMA world.
On the other hand, Chandler has been excoriated by the community. Many, including Michael Bisping and Josh Thomson, had less than kind words to say about Chandler over his lackluster UFC 314 showing. And joining this chorus, albeit more politely, is former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. ‘Bobby Knuckles’ couldn’t stop raving about Pimblett’s dominant performance, but feels that ‘Iron’ Mike looked like he just didn’t want to be there.
“I just love seeing what he’s [Paddy Pimblett’s] doing. And you can see that the harder the competition, the more you’re getting out of Paddy, and there is no doubt in my mind that that wasn’t the best version of Chandler we’ve ever seen. That was a Chandler that looked like he’s sick of getting hit, he’s sick of the work that it takes to get there, he’s a little gun-shy because he doesn’t want to [engage],” he said on his MMArcade Podcast.
“He looks like he’s kind of over it, that’s the vibe I got from him in that fight. And there is no one to make you over it as well as Paddy because he was making Chandler pay for every step he took when he would move forward. He would piece him up, when he moves away, he would piece him up. Like, it was so impressive, so impressive, ‘cuz regardless of the version of Chandler you get, he is still so dangerous,” he added.
April 12, 2025, Miami, Fl, Miami, Fl, United States: Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout at UFC 314 – Volkanovski vs Lopes at Kesaya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, FL /PxImages Miami, Fl United States – ZUMAp175 20250412_zsa_p175_412 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
Indeed, Pimblett’s victory is very impressive. After all, Chandler is coming off a much closer fight against Charles Oliveira—the most successful finisher in the history of the sport, who may just have the best BJJ in the entire promotion. Interestingly, Chandler almost stopped the Brazilian in the fifth round of their UFC 309 clash last year. But even ‘Do Bronx’ couldn’t do to ‘Iron’ Mike the second time around—what ‘The Baddy’ did. But there is one intriguing question on everyone’s mind after Pimblett’s UFC 314 heroics.
Who will be Paddy Pimblett’s next fight?
“I respect Dustin [Poirier], Justin [Gaethje] and Charles [Oliveira]. Charles is the biggest legend out of them all and he gets called the best submission artist the UFC’s ever seen, well I dispute that. I’m here, so me versus Charles,” Paddy Pimblett told Joe Rogan in the post-fight UFC 314 octagon interview. At the post-fight presser, ‘The Baddy’ would add Ilia Topuria’s name to that list. But there is perhaps one name that not many people, not even Pimblett himself is talking about—lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.
“When he deserve, why not? If he win his next couple match and when he’s going to be like top 10, why not? Because I don’t have some exciting fight in my division, we need some new name,” Makhachev said last year after ‘The Baddy’s UFC 304 victory over King Green.
And since the Dagestani champ still does not have his next opponent, Pimblett is still a possibility. Of course, there are reports that Makhachev is waiting for the result of the Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena UFC 315 clash to make his next move, and already has three lightweight title contenders in the shape of Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Ilia Topuria on offer. And Pimblett has added his name to that list. What do you think about Robert Whittaker’s thoughts on the Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett clash?
The post “He’s Kind of Over It” – Robert Whittaker Confesses ‘Vibe’ He Felt From Michael Chandler’s Humiliating UFC 314 Loss to Paddy Pimblett appeared first on EssentiallySports.