Michael Bisping believes there’s no more ‘see you at the top’ for Michael Chandler after UFC 314 defeat.
Chandler was dominated by Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event of UFC 314 on Saturday night, subsequently derailing the American’s hopes of a second title shot.
The 38-year-old had laid out a path to another UFC title shot ahead of the Miami card, which included a rematch with Charles Oliveira en route to fighting current champion Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt.
However, Chandler’s performance at UFC 314 meant he plummeted five places down the official lightweight rankings, meaning he is now in 12th spot, with Pimblett up four places in eighth.
The general consensus from UFC fans is that Chandler’s name is no longer in any future title conversations, and British MMA legend Bisping certainly agrees.
“I don’t say this lightly, but that was a career-killing performance for Michael Chandler,” he said in a scathing assessment of his defeat.
“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 ain’t no more title talks, there’s no more, ‘see you at the top.’ There’s none of that.
“Paddy Pimblett just put an end to all of that. If he [Chandler] was 30 years old, he could have another go. He could dust himself off and have another crack at the whip.
“But no, father time is undefeated. He’s 38 years old, and there ain’t no way that he’s getting back into title contention ever again.”
On the flip side, Liverpool’s Pimblett is now just one fight away from a UFC title shot.
In fact, the Merseyside-born star could be thrust into an immediate bout for the lightweight strap, depending on who those above him are matched up against.
UFC lightweight rankings
‘The Baddy’ moves to #8
- Arman Tsarukyan
- Charles Oliveira
- Justin Gaethje
- Max Holloway
- Dustin Poirier
- Dan Hooker
- Mateusz Gamrot
- Paddy Pimblett (+4)
- Beneil Dariush
- Renato Moicano
- Rafael Fiziev
- Michael Chandler (-5)
- Benoit Saint Denis
- Grant Dawson
- Joel Alvarez (Newly-ranked)
Makhachev is the current king of the lightweight division, with Arman Tsarukyan, Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier all top contenders at 155 pounds too.
Pimblett mentioned all of the above in his post-fight Octagon interview, and Bisping believes the 30-year-old has to be taken ‘more seriously’ after his victory.
“Pimblett absolutely smoked Michael Chandler…a title shot is in the future,” Bisping added.
“He looked ridiculous. He looked like the guy that he’s always spoken about, the person that he says that he is, the person that calls out everyone, that dismisses all the opposition at the top.
“And for someone who doesn’t call people out, he called out everyone.
“Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Ilia Topuria…he did not give a single f*** and rightly so.
“The man is coming to be a champion. Will he do that? We don’t know, but I’ll tell you what. After tonight’s performance, everyone’s going to be taking him a lot more seriously. I’m telling you, he looked like a killer tonight.”
Pimblett’s future at lightweight is uncertain for now, but former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman both believe that he should fight ex-featherweight champion Topuria next.
“The fight that would really make sense right now is Ilia Topuria,” Cejudo said, reacting to UFC 314.
“These guys have beef from back in the day. The storyline is there, they’re both stars in the UFC.”
Topuria moved up 10 pounds to lightweight after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, before vacating his featherweight title.
The Spaniard has been told by UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov that he must fight a top contender to earn a title shot with Makhachev, and a fight with Pimblett, who shared a long-term hatred with Topuria, does indeed make a lot of sense.
