The longer his UFC 314 fight with Paddy Pimblett lasts, the worse it will be for Michael Chandler – or so believes former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
Pimblett is gearing up for the biggest fight of his career against former Bellator champion and UFC title challenger Chandler on April 12 at Kaseya Center in Miami. The UFC 314 co-main event is scheduled for five rounds, something that Oliveira believes plays to Pimblett’s advantage.
“Michael Chandler is a very aggressive and explosive guy. I have nothing but respect for him. He has power in his hands,” Oliveira said in an interview with online sportsbook Oddspedia. “On the other side, you have a younger guy that believes in himself, moves very well and has really good jiu-jitsu and also a good standup game. He moves well, but experience counts for a lot.
“In the first two rounds, Chandler has a chance to knock him out because of how explosive he is. But if the fight goes into the third round, I believe it’s going to be hard for Chandler because Paddy is younger, and he’s very talented.”
Chandler, 38, has made a splash in the UFC ever since his debut in January 2021, but it hasn’t been because of his positive results. He’s just 2-4 inside the octagon, including a title-fight knockout loss to Oliveira and another defeat in their rematch last November, as he’s been nothing short of an action fighter.
Pimblett, 30, has experienced a slow build since his UFC debut in September 2021, going 6-0 inside the octagon. He most recently scored an impressive submission of King Green last July at UFC 304. The hope for Pimblett is to use Chandler as a springboard into serious title contention for the first time in his career.
If Pimblett is victorious, Oliveira looks forward to potentially crossing paths with him,
“I’ve been watching Paddy Pimblett for a while,” Oliveira said. “He talks a lot, and the people at the UFC love that, but right now he has a really important fight coming up, and it’s going to be a really tough test. If he keeps climbing the ranks then we are going to fight, that’s for sure.”
