COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Dustin Poirier thinks Paddy Pimblett is undeniable as a top lightweight after dominating and finishing Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
Former interim champ Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) served as a desk analyst for ESPN this past Saturday when Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) went into his co-main event with Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) and delivered a bloody third-round TKO win at Kaseya Center in Miami. Although “The Baddy” had his share of supporters coming in, the matchup was a clear step up in competition, and his naysayers weren’t sure if he’d overcome it.
Turns out, Pimblett passed the test with flying colors, and put himself firmly among the top tier at 155 pounds.
“He’s legit,” Poirier told MMA Junkie on Monday. “How can I deny him any more? Chandler’s a tough guy. I don’t think Chandler looked great. He had a good first round, got Paddy down, wrist-rode him against the fence, kind of squeaked it out, but he looked flat after that. He looked heavy on his feet. He looked exhausted. Like I said on the desk: Everyone’s odometer has a different mileage where things start to slow down, the wheels start to shake. Maybe that’s his time now, but only he knows that.”
Poirier, 36, doesn’t want to downplay Pimblett’s performance by asking too many questions about the state of Chandler’s career. He admittedly hold ill will toward his former opponent Chandler, who he submitted at UFC 281 in November 2022. Poirier prefers to give Pimblett his due.
“I definitely think Chandler didn’t look great, but not taking away from Paddy’s performance,” Poirier said. “Paddy went out there, dropped the first round, came out confident and hit Chandler with good shots. Then he took him down. Who would’ve have had that on their bingo card that Paddy is going to take down Chandler to the mat like that and get on top of him and dominate him like that. Paddy’s the real deal.”
Poirier intends to retire after his next fight, which is rumored to take place this summer. If he was sticking around longer, though, he said Pimblett would certainly be a realistic and worthwhile opponent given what he’s now done.
But seeing as that is not in play, Poirier said he would very much like see to Pimblett take on another one of his former opponents in Dan Hooker, who is riding a three-fight winning streak.
“The guy was a prospect. Now he’s a contender,” Poirier said. “You have to take him for real now. Not that Chandler wasn’t a big fight, but his next fight has to be a really big one. Like a (Mateusz) Gamrot, Arman (Tsarukyan), (Charles) Oliveira – behind the scenes, I’ve got stuff, so I can’t entertain that and I’m only fighting one more time, but for me as a fan, put him in there with Dan Hooker. That would be an incredible fight. That’s a fun fight. The build up is going to be fun. Dan is going to stand and trade with him. Dan has good takedown defense, on the ground. That’s the fight, I think.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
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