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Michael Chandler is expecting a good fight when he takes on Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 in April, but he said that, compared to many of his past opponents, the Englishman doesn't stack up to their level.
Chandler has faced a host of top contenders and big names since he arrived in the UFC, and now, after winning two and losing four of his six UFC fights to date, he said that his fight with Pimblett represents a downgrade in opponent.
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"He's definitely not up there with the guys that I have faced," Chandler told Covers.com.
"(With me) You're talking about the guy who's fought the Mount Rushmore of the guys in the lightweight division.
"Justin Gaethje – first-ballot Hall of Famer. Charles Oliveira – first-ballot Hall of Famer. Dustin Poirier – first-ballot Hall of Famer. A legend in Tony Ferguson. Dan Hooker, now a top-five guy – I dispatched with him in two and a half minutes.
"These are tough, tough dudes, and I'm not saying that Paddy isn't, but you can still compliment Paddy's skillset, and also not put him up there in the ranks of those guys that I have fought."
Like Chandler, Pimblett has fought six times in the UFC, but unlike Chandler, the Liverpudlian has a perfect 6-0 record in the Octagon. However, the level of opponent Pimblett has faced is significantly lower than the big names Chandler has been sharing the cage with.
Chandler said that Pimblett has been matched very smartly by the UFC, but now the acid test of Pimblett's credentials will come when he faces Chandler in Miami on April 12.
"He definitely hasn't fought stiff competition," Chandler stated.
"You see some guys come into the UFC and their first fight is against an absolute killer. Paddy has slowly built up his resume and strength of schedule and competition, and the UFC is smart for doing that.
"Paddy's a marketable guy, a high-yield dividend stock, if you will. The UFC is a business. They are smart. They know how to put together matchups, and it was only a matter of time before he got a top 10 opponent. And now he gets to run into a buzzsaw named Michael Chandler."
The way Pimblett has been matched, along with the hype that has followed him into the UFC, hasn't sat well with some, and Chandler understands that opinion.
"His confidence and his brand are bigger than the competition that he has faced, and in the sport of mixed martial arts, the fans don't like that, and I actually empathize with that," he admitted.
"I was the guy who came into the UFC, made a huge splash, knocked out Dan Hooker, but that was only one win inside the UFC.
"Then all of a sudden, I became the next big thing and Dana's talking about putting me in the title fight.
"All of a sudden, I'm in a title fight in my second fight.
"You see it with guys like Bo Nickal. Bo Nickal talks, he's confident, and hasn't really faced 'tough enough competition' for some people's liking, so he gets hate for it.
"Paddy just hasn't fought anybody to my caliber yet, or anybody inside the top 10 yet, so his confidence is unwarranted in a lot of people's eyes. But I respect him. I think he's a talented guy. He's got great grappling. He throws hard punches."
Chandler said that he plans to make his power the difference maker when he faces Pimblett on April 12, and said that the British fighter won't be able to cope with his aggression and forward pressure.
"I walk across the cage, and I get into your presence. I invade your space," he stated.
"(He'll find out) how fast I am, the power that I have. The first couple shots that he feels, if they don't put him out, are going to strike the fear of God in him.
"Paddy's best chance is to evade, evade, evade, and not get hit with one of these big shots. The problem with that is the heart rate rises, the cortisol level rises, the stress level rises, the lactic acid builds up, and he's stuck inside there for 25 minutes.
"When he gets hit by a right hand or a left hook, or he gets ripped to the body, he will go down, and I just need to be patient for that. You're going to see a better version of me step inside the Octagon against Paddy."
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About the writer
Based in Rochester, England, Simon Head is a veteran sports editor who has covered sports for national and international outlets ... Read more