UFC 314 sees the Octagon return to Miami with a huge card that features two of the former faces of Bellator.
Michael Chandler has his targets set on Paddy Pimblett as the two lightweights prepare to collide next month at the Kaseya Center.
Whilst ‘Iron’ Mike looks to halt the winning streak of ‘The Baddy’, earlier on in the night, a new face will look to introduce himself to the UFC fans.
Patricio Pitbull is set to face Yair Rodriguez on his featherweight debut after parting ways with the PFL in recent months.
The two former Bellator stars who shared the stage at the recent press conference have history with Pitbull stopping Chandler in the first round to avenge his brother in 2019.
Michael Chandler isn’t interested in reigniting his feud with Patricio Pitbull
After beating Patricky Pitbull via a decision in 2011 to win the Bellator lightweight tournament, Michael Chandler made a statement in their rematch.
They fought for the vacant lightweight title in 2016 where ‘Iron’ Mike unleashed a patented fast ball right-hand to produce one of the most devastating finishes of his entire career.
At Bellator 221 three years later, Chandler would face Patricky’s younger brother Patricio Pitbull who would be moving up to lightweight to try and become a two-weight world champion.
The featherweight titleholder caught the defending champion with a right hand to the top of the head, stopping Chandler in just over a minute to earn one of the biggest wins of his career.
Whilst Pitbull said at the UFC 314 press conference that they could meet again somewhere down the line, Chandler outlined in a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri that this isn’t of interest to him.
“Yeah, not interested in relitigating anything man. I’m not a guy who tries to get anything back and also I’m not a type of guy who likes to have any animosity. Obviously I knocked his brother out almost twice, definitely knocked him out once pretty bad.”
Chandler went on to say that he believes that his feud with Patricio stems from a misunderstanding where something was lost in translation.
With that in mind, he said that he may even bury the hatchet with his former opponent if given the opportunity at UFC 314 next month.
“I think there was a miscommunication there with the language barrier. I said something about family because of his brother and then I think interpreted that as mom, wife, sister, brother, kids and all that and I think it got blown out of proportion to be honest with you but with that being said man, I wish him the best in the UFC. I want him to come over and do well.
“He’s a 145’er, I’m a 155’er, I have no interest in fighting Patricio Pitbull but it’ll be interesting to share the same card with him and when I do see him, I will shake his hand respectfully, might even apologize for the miscommunications in the past. Let’s let bygones be bygones, you don’t need to spend any of your energy on me. Focus on trying to become the featherweight champion of the UFC.”
Michael Chandler has his own priorities right now
As Michael Chandler stated, Patricio Pitbull has his own featherweight goals to focus on right now and the same goes for the former lightweight title challenger.
Whilst he has only lost to the very best opponents at 155-pounds, this is the first time in a while that the 38-year-old is facing a fighter that is climbing the rankings and looking to take his spot.
Chandler said in the same interview that a loss to Paddy Pimblett on April 12 won’t determine whether he hangs up the gloves or not but it could signal the end of his career as a top 155-pounder.
That being said, if he adds another one-punch knockout to his highlight reel, considering that he’ll likely have a WWE style promo ready to rip on the mic, Chandler will be right back in the mix.