UFC fights between two fighters are not just a clash between them, but also between their supporters and teams. Take Team Khabib as an example. Remember what happened when Khabib Nurmagomedov fought Conor McGregor, and both of their teams also clashed after the fight? So clearly it’s not just about the fighters.
Recently, a deeper clash emerged between Team Michael Chandler and Team Paddy Pimblett ahead of their UFC 314 fight. Pimblett got all the help he needed from Chandler’s past foe when he bumped Patricio Pitbull at the UFC 314 post fight press conference.
Pitbull delivered a brutal KO loss to ‘Iron’ at Bellator 221, taking his belt in the process. When asked by Mark Ownes of Inside Fighting, the 36-7-0 Brazilian star gave a short and curt answer about helping Pimblett. Owens asked, “Is it true that you gave Paddy Pimblett tips on how to beat Michael Chandler in this fight?”
Pitbull said, “It’s true,” with the help of a translator. Owen attempted to extract a secret tip from the veteran fighter, but Pitbull remained tight-lipped. He said, “That’s a secret, it’s getting in the way of strategy.”
MMA: UFC 274-Chandler vs Ferguson, May 7, 2022 Phoenix, Arizona, USA Michael Chandler during UFC 274 at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports, 07.05.2022 19:38:19, 18361648, Michael Chandler, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilasx 18361648
However, even though Pitbull did not disclose the secret, we got some hints from ‘The Baddy’. “I was speaking to Pitbull, someone who knocked Chandler out in the first round, and he was giving me a few tips on how to beat him also,” Pimblett informed The Action Network.
Pimblett said that Pitbull told him about the little nuances that Chandler uses inside the cage. “You can catch him and get punches off…’ Pitbull knocked him out with an overarm right. I’m a lot longer than Pitbull,” he said. Meanwhile this is not the only secret tip that Pimblett is preparing with. He has studied his opponent thoroughly and even knows about his little habits of ‘cheating’, as per Dustin Poirier.
Paddy Pimblett has a way of preventing Chandler from cheating
During UFC 281, ‘The Diamond’ claimed that his opponent had cheated. Chandler seemed to fishhook Poirier while trying a rear-naked choke, and Poirier had immediately called it out. “Bro, that guy’s a dirty fighter,” Poirier declared in his post-fight interview. “He was fish-hooking me, putting his fingers in my mouth. That’s not fighting clean.”
Pimblett was aware of this and discussed it with Jon Anik. The Englishman blamed the referee for not calling out Chandler on this behaviour. He further added, “Obviously, I have seen the Poirier one as well. He’s saying he tried to fishhook him to get the choke and stuff like that. I’ll do the same thing as Poirier if that happens, I’ll bite his finger and try to take it off with my teeth. It’s one of them. But I always say if you are not cheating, you’re not trying.”
Nevertheless, both teams are preparing without leaving any stones unturned. Who do you think will win this fight? Tell your predictions in the comments below.
The post Michael Chandler’s Rival Comes Clean On Giving Paddy Pimblett a ‘Secret Tip’ to Beat Him at UFC 314 appeared first on EssentiallySports.
