UFC fighters are no strangers to cheating allegations when they reach the top of their careers. Fighters like Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, and Tim Elliott, to name a few, have witnessed their reputations being tarnished by these allegations, some of which have also turned out to be true at times. While these names belong to a different era in the UFC, one name is currently creating buzz, especially regarding his ‘shady fighting techniques’ in the Octagon, leading many to call him out for his antics. Yes, we’re talking about ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler.

When Chandler knocked Tony Ferguson out with a clean front head kick, many thought ‘Iron Mike’s journey in the UFC would finally see the rise fans have been waiting for. But after losing two straight fights, one to Dustin Poirier and then to Charles Oliveira, Chandler was surrounded by critics with questions less about his loss, but more about his cheating antics in the octagon. When the dust was settled, Poirier was seen shouting at Chandler after his submission win: “You can’t do that.”  Whereas even Charles Oliveira said Chandler tried to manipulate the fight. Now, as we head towards UFC 314 where Chandler faces Paddy Pimblett, he spoke out against the allegations.

While talking to MMAFightingonSBN, Chandler said: “Did I grab Dustin Poirier’s mouthpiece? Yes I did, because I thought it was his chin. I’ve already addressed that one thing happens in a fight, are you going to reach over and grab the cage? are you going to you know get your fingers in the glove? Yeah, those things are going to happen.”

‘Iron’ Mike added, “In the last fight Charles Olivera dug his chin so deep into my eye socket that I thought I was going to go blind which is illegal it’s it’s an eye gouge right? He was grabbing my gloves when he was trying to choke me like there was. These things happen when you’re inside of the cage. I would never say that Charles Olivera is a cheater. His body is reacting and doing things, without his brain’s permission, all right!”

We can whether he cheated or not, but we do know about Michael Chandler’s personality. Even with all of these accusations, Chandler’s drive and motivation to put on bangers one after another has established him as a big star in the UFC. With Dana White talking about never letting him go, Chandler can look at his UFC future fearlessly and thrive forward for his long-awaited crowning moment.

Paddy Pimblett tears through Michael Chandler over his cheating allegations

Throughout the build-up for UFC 314, the most talked about fight remains Chandler against Paddy Pimblett. For a fight that is high stakes for both Chandler and Pimblett, both have maintained their hostility towards each other. Taking digs at each other at every opportunity, Pimblett recently talked about Chandler’s cheating allegations, saying, “Yeah he’s the nicest man in the world outside the cage and when he gets in it he’s a dirty bastard isn’t he?” once even saying : “I’ll bite his fingers off”, when asked what he would do if Chandler cheated against him.

While Chandler and Paddy both have to bring their best at UFC 314, only one of them will be able to get their hand raised as the victor. A battle that will decide Chandler’s future as a title contender in the division, Paddy will look to make the most of this opportunity to skyrocket his career to a new height, new ranks, and achievements. While Chandler’s win will increase his survival chances in the young and growing lightweight division, Pimblett’s victory will give him a chance to solidify himself as one of the top lightweights in the UFC right now.

As Chandler clashes against Pimblett, he has more than just his opponent to take care of, to be worried about. Cheating or not, his antics do prove to be advantageous for him and quite understandably outrageous for his opponent. From spewing his blood on his opponent’s face to hitting an opponent on the back of the head, all of these can be mistakes but leave the aggressor in a much better position. Any such irresponsibility or antics this time will prove to be very costly for Iron Mike. What do you think?