All the way up from where Tom Aspinall sees the things, the journey ahead look like sunshine and rainbows for his fellow English fighter Paddy Pimblett. Of course, ‘The Baddy’ is going up against arguably the biggest prospect, and toughest challenge of his career, thus far—’Iron’ Michael Chandler. So will the Scouser bring his A-game and put on the performance of a lifetime against the scrappy American fighter whose fighting style and aggression is reminiscent of pitbull? Well, the interim heavyweight champion definitely thinks so.
The man who defended his interim heavyweight belt last year thinks that Paddy ‘The Baddy’ can knock Chandler out! ‘Iron’ will face the 22-3-0 Paddy Pimblett, who has only back-to-back wins in UFC so far in his six promotional bouts. UFC 314 will truely decide if Pimblett can hang with the big boys of the division. A win will add another stripe to his undefeated UFC record. Of course, Chandler is no walk in the park, and is a fighter who truly makes you earn your victory.
Despite Chandler’s menacing fighting style, the English heavyweight fighter thinks it will be the English lightweight fighter who will win the fight. While speaking to TNT and UFC Eurosport, Aspinall said, “I think it would be silly to say that Paddy has not had favorable matchups because I think he has. But I think Paddy is improving a lot. I think that people underestimate him a lot because of the way he acts outside the Octagon—the way he looks and stuff.”
He also described how Pimblett might be misjudged because of his unorthodox fighting style and his carefree attitude. Aspinall added, “I think he’s gonna surprise a lot of people. And I watched Chandler up close fighting Charles Oliveira. I was in New York. I watched it cage side. And I think when you watch a white cage side and watch it on TV, it’s completely different. I watched it cage side and I think Paddy is going to knock him out. Honestly, I do. I think most people would look at it and think that Paddy is going to get the submission if he wins, but I honestly think Paddy is going to knock him out.”
Aspinall said the same thing to Adam Catterall in the One on One interview, stating that Pimblett “does not crack under pressure” which is going to be his plus point in this fight. Even though Pimblett is bigger in terms of physique and stature, Chandler is a veteran and has a grinding forward pressure with enough power to land a “good one” on Pimblett as per the English heavyweight champion.
It’s true that ‘Iron’ Mike is one of the hardest hitters in the 155 lbs division, and despite Pimblett having a 40% striking defense, ‘Iron’ Mike has proven finishing capability. Chandler is an exciting fighter due to his reckless abandonment of striking defense, but even Pimblett packs a bizarre style as well, with his outgoing attitude and a knack for getting punched and punching back while still winning the fight.
“I enjoy getting punched and punching people in the face. It sounds very weird, but I enjoy it,” he had said on The Pat McAfee Show after his fight against Jordan Leavitt. So this time, what does Pimblett have up his sleeve—or rather his blonde mullet—to defeat Chandler?
Paddy Pimblett’s blueprint to defeat Michael Chandler
Paddy Pimblett might seem happy-go-lucky and reckless, but he words seem like he’s studied Michael Chandler from corner to corner. “He’s a unit, isn’t he? He’s going to come out and try to knock my head off.” Pimblett indicated in an interview with ESPN. Nevertheless, he seemed confident that he would defeat Chandler just like he had defeated the other fighters.
“He comes out trying to take your head off swinging overhands, left hooks, and that’s all anyone’s ever tried to do against me, trying to knock me out, and no one has ever knocked me out. Michael Chandler is not going to be the first person to do it,” he added.
Pimblett is perfect for Chandler’s eclectic style since he, too, has a unique way of approaching his fights with grappling, guillotine chokes, and a particular ability to grapple and secure submissions. He said that he would slowly exhaust Chandler from a distance, just like he did with King Green and Tony Ferguson.
He said in the same interview, “I’m going to kick him, keep him on the end of my range, and frustrate him. I think I could land a knockout blow as he steps in and brings all his weight forward, leaning into a shot.” So do you think this prediction will come true? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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