Paddy Pimblett reveals major concern for Michael Chandler and appeals to referee at UFC 314

Paddy Pimblett faces Michael Chandler at UFC 314. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

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Recently, Michael Chandler defended himself against accusations of playing dirty in fights inside the octagon. His latest controversy occurred in the duel against Charles do Bronx at UFC 309 , when he illegally poked the Brazilian in the eye and then did not hesitate to deliver several punches to the back of his opponent's neck. And this way of not acting according to the rules is precisely what worries Paddy Pimblett , who faces the American next Saturday (12) at UFC 314.

In the case against Do Bronx, the referee did not interrupt or warn Chandler for the action that did not comply with MMA rules. This fact raises the British fighter's red flag for the fight in Miami.

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“He’s the nicest guy in the world outside the Octagon, and when he gets in there, he’s a bastard, isn’t he? I always say if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying, so I understand what he’s trying to do. He wants to win. That’s the main thing in this game, but yeah, I’ll probably mention the referee back there, like, ‘If he’s going to grab my gloves, I’m going to call him out. If he tries to poke me in the eye and stuff like that,’” Pimblett told reporters at media day on Wednesday (9).

The British lightweight (up to 70,3kg) recalled the incident between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira last November. He hopes that the referee from that fight, Keith Peterson, will not be the same one sharing the octagon with him and the American in Saturday's co-main event.

“The one against Charles, when he punched him in the back of the head about nine times, I hope it’s not my referee. Just put it that way. I hope I have a good referee, like Goddard or Herzog. I don’t want a referee who lets me get punched in the back of the head all the time,” he confessed.

With 22 wins and three losses in his career, Pimblett is still undefeated in the UFC with six wins in six fights. Chandler, on the other hand, has 23 wins and nine losses, two of them in his last fights against Dustin Poirier and Do Bronx.

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