Paddy Pimblett won’t be fighting at UFC London in March, because he has a bigger fish to fry at UFC 314 in April: former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Michael Chandler.
A five-round co-main event between Chandler (23-9) and Pimblett (22-3), at lightweight, was announced by UFC CEO and President Dana White on Wednesday. Promotion officials later confirmed the booking.
The move puts to bed months of speculation on who Pimblett’s next opponent would be, as well as moving Chandler even further from the blockbuster match-up with Conor McGregor that was supposed to have headlined UFC 303 last year.
A three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champ, Chandler joined the UFC in 2021, knocking out Dan Hooker in his debut. That was enough to earn him a shot at then-champ Charles Oliveira, a fight “Iron” Mike lost. Chandler would then lose in violent fashion (is there any other way) to Justin Gaethje in a fight fan’s dream match-up, before bouncing back opposite Tony Ferguson.
More recently, Chandler has lost to Dustin Poirier, and in a rematch with Oliveira. His last five UFC fights, and six of seven overall, have earned him post-fight bonuses however.
Pimblett has been seen as a future superstar since blowing up in Cage Warriors years ago. His trajectory in the UFC has been steep, with Paddy “the Baddy” soaring fast and beating everyone put in front of him to date. Those names include Tony Ferguson and King Green (formerly Bobby), which have earned the 30-year old another step up in competition.
Pimblett is ranked #12, and Chandler #7 in the UFC’s lightweight division.
UFC 314 takes place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on April 12, 2025. The card is headlined by Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes fighting for the promotion’s now-vacant featherweight title. Another former Bellator champion, Patricio Pitbull, also makes his promotional debut at the event.
