Pimblett and Chandler have partaken in a respectful, cordial build-up to their fight at UFC 314 in Miami, but when asked at media day about his past comments about Chandler’s past uncalled fouls against Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, Pimblett wasn’t shy to share his view.
“He’s the nicest man in the world outside the cage, and when he gets in there he’s a dirty bastard, isn’t he?” said Pimblett.
“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 when it comes to this game.”
He also said that he would talk to the assigned referee ahead of their bout to make sure they were aware of Chandler’s past indiscretions, and to be on alert for repeat offences during their fight on Saturday night.
“Yeah, I probably will mention to the referee in the back. If he’s going to grab my gloves, I’m going to say. If he tries to poke me in the eye, and stuff like that,” he said.
“That one against Charles [Oliveira], when he punched him in the back of the head about nine times or something – and the ref… I hope that’s not my referee, just put it that way.
“I hope I get a good ref like [Marc] Goddard or [Jason] Herzog. I don’t want to have a ref that’s just going to let me get rabbit punched in the back of the head consistently.
“The one he did against [Justin] Gaethje was bad as well, when he poked him in the eye and the ref went to stop it, and he just punched him in the face as hard as he could.”
Paddy Pimblett pleads his #UFC314 referee to look out for "dirty bastard" Michael Chandler's cheating.
"I hope I've got a good ref with (Marc) Goddard or (Jason) Herzog." pic.twitter.com/l3QYQcd0Yk
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 9, 2025
Pimblett isn’t letting that minor concern cloud his overall opinion of Chandler ahead of the fight, but he did say that he’s fully aware of what he’s stepping into the cage with on Saturday night.
“As I say, Chandler’s a real nice fella outside the Octagon.
“I bumped into him yesterday and had a chat with him. But in there, he’s a very, very dirty man.”
Pimblett said that he plans on finishing Chandler inside the distance at Kaseya Center, and admitted that, regardless of how good his performance might be on fight night, he knows the doubters will continue to question his fighting ability by casting aspersions on the quality of his opponents.
“The goalposts always get moved with me,” he shrugged.
“Everyone’s saying now, before the fight, ‘Chandler’s going to knock him out, Paddy is not good.’
“Then, once I beat him, it will be, ‘He’s 2-4 in the UFC, he’s 38, he’s washed.’
“I’m used to it. I get on with it now. I just go out there and prove how good I am by winning.”
