March 12, 2025 5:10 pm ET
Beneil Dariush offers Paddy Pimblett the bottom benefit over Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) takes on former UFC title challenger Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in a five-round light-weight co-main occasion April 12 at Kaseya Middle in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+).
Dariush sees Chandler as Pimblett’s good ticket to the higher echelon of light-weight.
“I feel for Paddy, it’s good,” Dariush instructed MMA Junkie. “You can be a fan of Chandler, no matter, you must admit he’s 2-4 within the UFC. Simply being trustworthy, I don’t assume he’s on his strategy to the highest. He’s on a downward slope, so it’s an ideal time for Paddy to sort of meet him there, and I feel Paddy has an excellent likelihood of beating him.” Dariush was shocked with Chandler’s most up-to-date efficiency the place he lost to Charles Oliveira in their rematch at UFC 309. Chandler was taken down 5 instances and managed for nearly quarter-hour en path to a unanimous determination loss.
“Charles was capable of get quite a lot of takedowns on Chandler, which I’m being trustworthy with you: I didn’t assume that was going to occur,” Dariush continued. “I believed possibly one or two takedowns, however to have the ability to take him down each spherical, that was very shocking to me. So I feel Paddy has an important likelihood. I feel the struggle will play out so much standing, but when Paddy gauges within the grappling, he’ll even have a number of success.
“For no matter cause, Chandler is wrestling lower than he used to, and wrestling isn’t like hanging the place you would simply hit some mitts and be again in form for it. Wrestling, you bought to drill, drill, drill, and it’s ugly, and it’s onerous. As you grow old, it turns into more durable and more durable to do this. He’s not wrestling as a lot, and that offers a very huge alternative for Paddy to win that struggle.”
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