Michael Chandler gives savage response to fan's jab about "back of the head" shots ahead of Paddy Pimblett fight
Michael Chandler issued a humorous response to a fan's remark about him being a dirty fighter ahead of the Paddy Pimblett fight. This came after Chandler revisited his past matchup with a former champion.
For context, Chandler recently reposted a clip of his first encounter with Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 58 in 2011, where the two started off the bout on an explosive note, writing:
''2011, a no name kid wins a tournament (3 fights in 3 months) then steps in a cage to compete against a consensus top 5 LW in the world. Very little skills to speak of. Just heart, heavy hands, a dream and a willingness to engage. FOTY 2011…then a decade later FOTY IN 2021. Still in pursuit…''
Check out the post below:
Chandler's X post prompted a reaction from a fan, who mocked the former lightweight challenger, asking him not to use any dirty tricks against Pimblett at UFC 314 on April 12.
''Please don't hit Paddy in the back of the head 24 times''
Chandler then responded in a lighthearted manner, writing:
''Depending on how close the corn rows are, I’ll aim right outside the 2 inch “back of the head” area. Thanks''
After a successful promotional debut against Dan Hooker at UFC 257 in 2021, the 38-year-old earned a title shot against the then-champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 262. Chandler failed in his title bid and suffered a unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje in his next octagon outing at UFC 268.
Chandler then bounced back by knocking out UFC veteran Tony Ferguson with a devastating front kick at UFC 274, which was followed by a third-round submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281.
In his most recent octagon outing at UFC 309 last year, 'Iron' faced Oliveira in a rematch and suffered a unanimous decision loss.
Paddy Pimblett issues stern warning to Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler has been previously accused of using cheap tricks in his fights. Addressing the allegations, Chandler's upcoming opponent at UFC 314, Paddy Pimblett spoke to Jon Anik on UFC's YouTube channel and expressed his thoughts.
Pimblett asserted that he won't tolerate Chandler's antics, saying:
''If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. Like, that’s on the ref...If that happens, I'll bite his finger and try and cut it off with my teeth. Like, it's one of them. But I always say, if you're not cheating, you're not trying!"
Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below (via Red Corner MMA's X post):