The UK’s Paddy Pimblett is never one to shy away from giving his opinion, and he spoke recently about accusations against his UFC 314 opponent Michael Chandler. Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier have made allegations about Chandler’s attempts to cheat during fights, but Pimblett was quick to play down these claims.
UFC 314 takes place on April 12th at Miami’s Kaseya Center where Chandler and Pimblett are the co-main event. UFC fans are able to explore state-licensed, offshore, and the best Ethereum esports betting sites for betting odds on all the fights, with Pimblett being their current favorite.
While there is usually no love lost between fighters in the run-up to UFC events, Pimblett came to Chandler’s defense saying that the most determined competitors will use every trick in the book to earn a victory, and it is up to the referee or their opponent to make sure they don’t get away with it.
In Chandler’s fight against Poirier, he attempted to fishhook him to work his way into a better position. Poirier is said to have bit down during the attempt with only his mouthguard saving Chandler’s fingers from serious damage. Pimblett jokingly said he can expect the same treatment if he tries something similar in their fight.
While Pimblett will be fully focused on his April fight with Michael Chandler, he still took time out of his busy schedule to support teammates and friends Nathan Fletcher and Molly McCann at the O2 Arena’s UFC London event.
Sadly things didn’t go the way he would have wanted with Fletcher missing out on a split decision against Caolan Loughran. This controversial decision did not go down well with the crowd or Paddy Pimblett who was seen shaking his head at the announcement.
Worse was to come as fellow Liverpudlian Molly McCann was tapped out by UFC debutant Alexia Thainara. 34-year-old McCann then went on to announce her retirement in the ring following the defeat, an announcement that had close friend Pimblett in tears.
An emotional McCann pointed towards her 1-4 record across her last five fights, stating that she was no longer good enough to compete in the UFC and was ready to step down.
Fans will be hopeful that this will spur Pimblett on in the last few weeks before the fight against Chandler who is coming off the back of two defeats and has lost four of his last 5 fights.
Pimblett’s 6-0 undefeated UFC record has seen him edge slightly ahead in the betting odds with some sportsbooks, but there is still lots of value to be discovered out there.
Despite Chandler bursting onto the scene in 2021, and quickly becoming a fan favorite, injuries set him back in 2023 and 2024 after facing some of the top names in the lightweight division.
Pimblett also entered the UFC in 2021 but hasn’t faced elite opposition to date. He has done everything right on his journey, remaining undefeated and showing impressive development.
This should be a fascinating fight with two crowdpleasers hoping to make the most of a match-up that could have serious ramifications for the loser.
