Michael Chandler has spoken publicly for the first time since a devastating defeat at the hands of Paddy Pimblett.
The pair of lightweight contenders co-headlined this past weekend’s UFC 314 pay-per-view inside Miami’s Kaseya Center, setting the stage for Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes’ featherweight title clash.
Chandler had hoped to insert his name back into the championship conversation at 155 pounds months on from a defeat to Charles Oliveira that left him 2-4 in the UFC.
Unfortunately for the ex-Bellator kingpin, Pimblett proved to be a hurdle too tall. The American was soundly beaten en route to a TKO stoppage in round three.
Now, days later, Chandler has addressed the brutal setback on social media, commenting on an image posted by his wife in the aftermath of his latest defeat on MMA’s biggest stage.
“Never out of the fight,” Michael Chandler wrote. “This picture sums it all up. As long as I’ve got these heartbeats and hands to hold, I’ve already won.”
It remains to be seen what comes next for the 38-year-old, who is now winless since a 2022 knockout of Tony Ferguson.
