UFC pundits just claimed that they are not ‘ripping’ off Michael Chandler but just stating the reality of the current situation. But let us tell you that they did not really speak about a good reality at the moment. Chandler’s rank #7 is coming into question when UFC veterans are sitting down to debate the year-end awards because Chandler really performed well inside the octagon this year.

It’s going to be a real challenge for UFC head honcho Dana White to set a fight for Chandler given the fact that he lost his fight to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. ‘Iron’ had already waited enough for Conor McGregor who had to withdraw from UFC 303 due to a toe injury so naturally the Missouri native moved on. He also had a full-proof blueprint ready for 2025 but losing to Oliveira changes things up a bit.

Interestingly, he recently responded to Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett regarding the latter’s cryptic Easter egg hinting at a fight with Chandler. ‘Iron’ is fresh off a fight of the year candidate, and despite his unanimous decision loss to Oliveira, he surprisingly did not lose much stock in the lightweight title picture. However, UFC insider Michael Bisping spelled danger for Chandler recently.

He spoke about Chandler’s future in the Believe You Me podcast. Bisping said, “I am not ripping Michael Chandler. It’s just the reality of the situation when you lose a fight regardless of how entertaining it is, regardless of whether you get the fight of the night, regardless of, like, let’s say, the last fight of your deal, and the UFC are like ‘well, that fight was awesome so we’re gonna give you another deal.’ It doesn’t matter at the end of the day matter for the rank.” The thing is, Chandler is a great draw for PPV, but will he be a good investment for a Fight Night?

The ex-UFC middleweight champ said, “He does need a win, so when you look at the rankings, I mean a fight with Paddy Pimblett makes a lot of sense. Paddy Pimblett tweeted or said on his YouTube, ‘See you at the top,’ which is a line that Michael Chandler uses a lot, but like really, are they gonna put Chandler on a fight night in London? Because he is a PPV draw.”

From the entertainment perspective, the London fight night would be good but a pay-per-view would be even greater. Now when it comes to the hints that #13 lightweight Pimblett is giving, let’s see what Chandler responded with.

Michael Chandler replied to Paddy Pimblett’s hints about a possible fight

The English juggernaut, who most recently defeated King Green at UFC 304, seems to be laser-focused on claiming the high ranks. In a recent YouTube video displaying his training, Pimblett said, “Nice end to the year, to be honest. I’m in good shape, about 84-85 kilos. People have been speculating who I am fighting and this and that. I’m coming for that belt, so I’m looking for higher-ranked fighters. And I’m sure you’ll see a fight announcement soon enough. I have said yeah, the opponent has said yeah. Just need to get stuff signed. And I’ll see you at the top.”

Now what did you notice here? Does it sound familiar? This is because the phrase ‘see you at the top’ is used by Michael Chandler himself! This is the reason for all the buzz and speculation on the duo’s fight. On the other side of the coin, Chandler has hinted at a possible 2025 showdown, but with a little change-up. He told Lucky Block, “If Conor doesn’t return in the first half of 2025, I will be fighting someone else.” 

“Paddy versus myself is gonna happen at some point. I’m not sure when, but that’s a fight that interests me. It’s a fight that would be fun for the fans… It will happen… That would be huge,” he continued. So now Chandler’s blueprint for 2025 has some alterations. Do you think he can turn this year into the perfect cherry on top of his legendary career? Share your thoughts in the comments below!