Michael Chandler has praised Paddy Pimblett’s ‘great gameplan’ in his first words since losing to the Liverpudlian at UFC 314.
Chandler was dominated by Pimblett in Miami last month, suffering a third-round TKO defeat after some nasty ground and pound from the Merseyside star.
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It was Chandler’s third successive UFC defeat and the fifth defeat in his last six bouts, having also been previously defeated by top lightweight contenders Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.
The 39-year-old American was left bloodied and beaten after sharing the Octagon with Pimblett, but had no excuses when in his first assessment of the fight.
“I feel like I couldn’t get my rhythm, I couldn’t get my range,” Chandler told MMA Junkie.
“Obviously, Paddy fights long, he fights with his chin way up in the air, and he’s pretty far away from you.
“He throws a lot of kicks to keep the distance, and I felt like I was just kind of getting settled in, [until I] took the knee to the face, then got taken down, and that was the end of it.
“It’s one of those deals where you learn. Hat’s off to Paddy, he had a great gameplan, went out there and got the win.”
Chandler was busted open at the beginning of round three after a perfectly timed knee from Pimblett.
‘Iron Mike’ struggled from there on in and a barrage of strikes from Pimblett sent him crashing to the canvas.
Pimblett then mounted Chandler and embarked on a savage ground and pound that forced referee Kerry Hatley to wave off the fight.
Chandler has since admitted that he had an ongoing knee injury heading into the fight, but asserted his choice to accept the bout was ‘my decision alone.’
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“I was coming off a knee injury that I needed to get some rehab on and some physical therapy and all that stuff,” Chandler added.
“It started feeling better, and I’m the kind of guy where I’d rather just go than sit around and wait.
“Maybe that was the wrong decision, but I was moving around well in the training camp…
“The decision to take the fight pretty early was my decision and my decision alone.”
Chandler is now taking time off from the sport, with the aim of making a return towards the end of the year, or at the beginning of 2026.
He has told the UFC not to call him for any shows in the next few months, with the likes of Ilia Topuria vs Oliveira, Max Holloway vs Poirier, and Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev all part of the promotion’s upcoming summer pay-per-view cards.
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Chandler concluded by explaining his strange call out to Conor McGregor this week, as rumours of the Irishman making a historic return continue to linger in the MMA community.
‘Iron Mike’ shared two posts on social media that suggested he wants to fight McGregor on January 24, 2026.
He revealed that it is him and his wife’s anniversary on that date, so he threw it out there to let it ‘speak into existence.’
McGregor has consistently teased a meeting with Chandler, saying he has unfinished business with his former rival coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in April.
Chandler said that he’s ‘not losing sleep’ over the fight, and wouldn’t bet on McGregor’s return, but has been consistent with the fact that he wants to finish his TUF season with the Irishman by having it out in the Octagon.
Both men were meant to fight at UFC 303 last June, but McGregor withdrew after injuring his toe in a sparring session.
As for Pimblett, he is likely to fight No. 3 ranked UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje next, before potentially fighting the winner of Topuria vs Oliveira for the lightweight title.
