Michael Chandler suffered a convincing TKO defeat against Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event of UFC 314 on Saturday night, and Michael Bisping pulled no punches afterwards by claiming that it spells the end of the former Bellator champion’s time as a leading fighter in the lightweight ranks.
“I don’t say this lightly, but that was a career-killing performance for Michael Chandler,” Bisping declared on his YouTube channel.
“Yes, of course, he’ll fight again. Yes, he’ll still make money. Yes, people will want to tune in. But that’s it, there is no more title talks, there is no more ‘See you at the top’. Paddy Pimblett just put an end to all of that.”
The 38-year-old Chandler has enjoyed a lot of attention since joining the UFC, helped by his penchant for putting on exciting fights in the Octagon, but also bolstered considerably by being continually linked to a potential fight with Conor McGregor that has never actually materialized.
However, the reality is that Chandler has now lost five of his seven fights in the Octagon, and in his last couple of fights against Charles Oliveira and Pimblett haven’t been all that competitive, particularly on Saturday night, where he was beaten up badly enough that he didn’t even stick around for a post-fight interview.
Despite that, it seems that Chandler still has the support of the man whose opinion matters most, Dana White, who still appreciates what ‘Iron Mike’ brings to the Octagon.
“Chandler is like our Arturo Gatti, man,” White told reporters after the event. “Every time that guy goes in, you know you’re in for a good fight, you know it’s going to be a war, and you don’t know whether he’s going to win or lose.”
