Regarding his defeat to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314, Michael Chandler has spoken out.
Chandler took a chance by taking on Pimblett in April, but he lost via TKO in the third round after being thoroughly outclassed. Given that Chandler had faced the superior opponent, the outcome was unexpected, but after the bout, “Iron” has nothing but appreciation for Pimbeltt.
“I feel like I couldn’t get my rhythm,” Chandler told MMA Junkie in his first interview since the loss. “I couldn’t get my range. Obviously, Paddy’s long. Paddy fights long, he fights with his chin way up in the air, and he’s pretty far away from you. Throws a lot of kicks to keep the distance, and I felt like I was just kind of getting settled in and obviously, took the knee to the face, and 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.”
According to Michael Chandler, Paddy Pimblett followed his strategy and had justifications for everything he did. However, there were concerns regarding his health prior to the fight.
Although Chandler acknowledges that he did have a knee injury, he maintains that he cannot use that as an excuse because he chose to fight. Rather, he argues Pimblett deserves all the credit for the victory.
Michael Chandler is going to take a vacation
Michael Chandler intends to take a break after losing to Paddy Pimblett via TKO.
Chadler says he wants to recover and be completely healthy for his upcoming bout, so he has no desire to go back until later this year.
“I’m definitely going to take a little bit of time off – I’m going to take the summer off,” Chandler said. “I’ve already spoken to the UFC that, ‘Hey, don’t call me for any summer shows.’ I will show up, I will be a fan, I will do some appearances, I will be a part of the UFC brand, but I need to take a little bit of time off and heal my body up. Then we’ll see what’s next. There’s obviously a ton of different names out there, ton of possibilities, and we’ll see.”
Michael Chandler is now 23-10 and on a three-fight losing streak. He’s 2-5 in the UFC.
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