Michael Chandler looked like a far inferior version of himself during his UFC 314 fight against Paddy Pimblett. One of Chandler’s teammates recently revealed the alleged reasons behind his lackluster performance, claiming Chandler’s struggles were due to his mindset heading into the fight.
Michael Chandler’s Teammate Sensed a Lack of Commitment in Him for the Paddy Pimblett Fight
Chandler’s UFC 314 matchup with Pimblett was a major opportunity to reclaim his reputation, especially against a rising prospect. But the 39-year-old couldn’t keep up with Pimblett’s well-rounded attacks. The British lightweight outmatched Chandler in both striking and grappling to take the first two rounds.
Things got worse in the third round, when Pimblett landed a flying knee that caused a gnarly cut on Chandler’s cheek. The injury further limited his ability to fight back, and Pimblett scored a TKO win at 3:07 of the round.
Recently, Chandler’s teammate, UFC lightweight Jared Gordon, spoke with “Inside Fighting” and gave his take on Chandler’s loss. Gordon didn’t mince words, citing Chandler’s lack of preparation as the reason for the defeat.
Gordon claimed Chandler didn’t train seriously enough for Pimblett. The lightweight said Chandler’s light training camp gave him a bad feeling leading into the bout — even though he believed Chandler had the tools to win.
“I could just see how he was training. I’m not tryna badmouth him. I always thought he [Chandler] could beat him [Pimblett] because he could catch him with one, but I saw the way he was training and who he was training with, and I was like, I don’t think he’s going to do it,” Gordon said.
He added that Chandler wasn’t sparring with partners who mimicked Pimblett’s style, which he felt was a key factor in the loss.
“[Chandler was] not going all out, not really training with guys that resemble Paddy, that are gonna push him.”
Jared Gordon revealed that he feels Michael Chandler wasn’t serious about the fight with Paddy Pimblett👀:
"I'm teammates with Mike. I could just see how he was training. I'm not tryna badmouth him. I always thought he [Mike] could beat him [Paddy] because he could catch him… pic.twitter.com/5egxkhZR5v
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 4, 2025
Chandler has struggled to regain form since returning to the Octagon after a two-year hiatus following his UFC 281 bout with Dustin Poirier. He returned at UFC 309 to face Charles Oliveira on Nov. 16, 2024, but suffered a unanimous decision loss.
The defeat to Pimblett at UFC 314 marked Chandler’s second straight loss since returning. At 39, it’s unclear how many more chances he’ll get to turn things around. Meanwhile, Pimblett is flying up the rankings, and looks prepared to make a run at the belt as his popularity grows ever larger.