Michael Chandlers passionately reacts to Paddy Pimblett fight

When it comes to his fight booking against Paddy Pimblett, the circumstances are not ideal for Michael Chandler, but the matchup is just right.

As part of a flurry of big-fight announcements Wednesday night, the UFC revealed that Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) vs. Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will serve as a five-round co-main event at UFC 314 on April 12 in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view). Reacting for the first time in a video shared early Thursday on X, Chandler detailed how the fight came together on late notice by his standards.

“In this sport, things move very fast,” Chandler said. “I was on vacation last week, got a call that said, ‘Hey, what do you think about fighting Paddy Pimblett in April?’ I said, ‘Well, Hunter (Campbell), April is only eight weeks away. I like to put down about four weeks of training before I go into an eight-week camp. Let me think about it.’

“Next day I flew to Vegas, sat down with him in his office, we talked through everything, and we made the decision: We’re fighting Paddy Pimblett, Miami, April 12th. Because an imperfect plan implemented now is better than a perfect plan implemented months from now. And in this sport, things move fast. There’s a lot of stuff going on with the division. We have a big summer for the lightweight division. And after the last fight, one of the most disappointing losses of my career, I wanted to get right back on the horse, get right back in the octagon.”

#UFC314 in Miami vs Pimblett! This sport moves fast and time waits for nobody…an imperfect plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed in the future.
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Walk On.
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See you at the top! pic.twitter.com/m8JYZQCNA3

— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 20, 2025

Chandler, a former Bellator champion, most recently competed this past November at UFC 309, where he lost a rematch to Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision. It was Chandler’s first fight in two years as he’d put his career on hold while waiting for an expected pairing with Conor McGregor that never came to fruition.

In Pimblett, 30, Chandler gets what many observers would consider a younger version of McGregor. The former Cage Warriors champ has won his first six UFC appearances since making his debut in 2021 and is coming off an impressive submission of King Green last July at UFC 304.

Chandler, 38, relishes the opportunity to derail one of the UFC’s rising stars while also entertaining the masses.

“I like the matchup, love the matchup actually,” Chandler said. “I respect Paddy. I think Paddy is a skilled fighter, I think he’s still got a bright future, but I think he’s going to run into a buzz saw named Michael Chandler on April 12th. As always, I will be the most entertaining guy that steps inside the octagon that night. I will have everybody on their feet. I will have everybody on the edge of their seat.

“In typical Chandler fashion, we’re going in there with one goal in mind, and that’s to separate our opponent from consciousness.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.