The hype for UFC 314 is surreal. And one of the reasons is the fans’ belief that Michael Chandler can knock Paddy Pimblett out. While it’s true that ‘Iron’ moving on from Conor McGregor sent a wave of relief (and disappointment, of course), Chandler trying to rise to the top had the MMA realm on high alert. On the other hand, ‘The Baddy’ has been climbing the ranks with awe-striking speed. With talks of Chandler stopping the Britisher with no defeats in the UFC has the MMA world on the edge of their seats. However, Carlos Prates has a difference of opinion and wanted ‘Iron’ to stay away from a KO victory. 

Prior to UFC 314, Chandler and Prates had a brief interaction with each other. Therein, the former Bellator champion praised Prates and tried to confirm if the Brazilian was trying to go for the Knockout of the Night. When ‘The Nightmare’ confirmed that he was indeed trying to go for Dana White’s $50K bonus, Chandler asked to let him in on that. It seemed like he was confident in his knockout power and would actually KO Pimblett. On the other hand, Prates was known for his finishing abilities with 16 out of 21 wins coming from KO/TKO. There’s indeed a high chance that he could knock Geoff Neal out at UFC 314. However, he didn’t really want Chandler in on that. 

When Chandler sensed the hesitation, he recalled the time when he conversed with Jon Jones at UFC 306. As the two took a picture together at The Sphere, Jones asked ‘Iron’ to spare some excitement for him at UFC 309. But Chandler refused to give in and claimed that he was coming to steal the show. Nevertheless, Prates had a different plan. He said, “Bro, you was Bellator champ, you know. You have many fights in UFC. You have good contract. Now, I’m trying to be a millionaire in Brazil. So, please, you know, just do some submission or something like that. But don’t knock him out.” Yet, the 38-year-old lightweight refused to give up. He pointed out that there were 2 performance bonuses, and was confident that both of them would get their hands on one of the $50K bonuses. 

Michael Chandler seemed to exude nothing but confidence as he got ready for his bout at UFC 314. Having won 11 bouts via KO/TKO, things were inclining towards him getting his 12th KO win. Even Charles Oliveira believed that Pimblett should be wary of Chandler’s explosive and knockout power. But ‘The Baddy’ wasn’t one to go down that easily. 

Paddy Pimblett refuses to get KOed by Michael Chandler at UFC 314

During a conversation with ESPN on 16 March 2025, the English lightweight acknowledged the power that Chandler possessed. Paddy Pimblett predicted that the former Bellator champion would come in with the intention to knock him out. Chandler would begin his trial by swinging overhands and left hooks. But it wouldn’t be enough. He said, “That’s all anyone’s ever tried to do against me trying to knock me out and no one has ever knocked me out. Michael Chandler is not going to be the first person to do it, like last time I’m going to kick him, keep him on the end of my range and frustrate him.”

On the other hand, Pimblett seemed to believe that he could send Chandler to the dream realm with a well-calculated shot. According to ‘The Baddy’, sending a powerful shot when ‘Iron’ leaned forward with all of his weight can actually send him to sleep. And as far as takedowns were concerned, the Brit was sure that Chandler wouldn’t try to take him down. If he did, he would simply get tapped out. 

Well, as per ‘Do Bronx’, Chandler had the power to knock Pimblett out in the first two rounds. And it was all because of his explosiveness. Of course, Oliveira experienced that firsthand at UFC 309. However, Pimblett was still young, with an age difference of almost 8 years. Hence, it would be a pretty tough fight for the Missouri-born fighter. 

What are your thoughts on the conversation between Chandler and Prates? Do you think both of them will be able to defeat their opponents with a knockout at UFC 314? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.