Paddy Pimblett’s win streak continued at UFC 314. Is he a true lightweight contender now? (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
(Sean M. Haffey via Getty Images)
Paddy Pimblett notched his ninth straight win at UFC 314, and it wasn’t pretty for Michael Chandler.
The UFC’s No. 12-ranked lightweight bodied, bloodied and battered his opponent in Miami on Saturday, ending the fight with a third-round stoppage for the most impressive win of his MMA career.
The first round was somewhat even, with Pimblett landing hard leg kicks and Chandler taking control for a while after a nice takedown on a counter, but it was pure abuse by Pimblett after the first five minutes. Pimblett was in control standing up and on the ground throughout the second round, which former UFC champ Henry Cejudo called the best of his career.
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The third round was even better for Pimblett, and worse for Chandler. He split Chandler’s face open with a knee early in the frame chased him around the Octagon until the fight’s merciful ending.
“This is how we win,” Pimblett said after the fight. “We game plan, we use our fight IQ and we beat motherf***ers up. Anyone else got any questions?
The win vaults Pimblett further up in the UFC lightweight pecking order, and he knows it judging from his callouts after the fight. He said he wanted a top 5 matchup and specifically named Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and “that little posh boy” Arman Tsarukyan before settling on Oliveira as his preferred opponent.
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“I want that world title,” he said. “Laugh all youse want and say I’ll never be champ, just like you said I’ll never get ranked, I’ll never be on the top 10, but what now, you gang of mushrooms?”
As for Chandler, there’s not much left to say for him. The former Bellator champion entered the UFC with enough hype that he got a title shot in his second bout with the promotion, but his UFC record now sits at 2-5, with his only wins over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson.
His losses have been entertaining and against the top fighters in a competitive lightweight division, and he lost too much time waiting for Conor McGregor to get his act together, but at some point you have to wonder when the significant wins are actually going to come for a supposed contender.
Catch full UFC 314 results, highlights and round-by-round coverage here.
