Michael Chandler has not taken too kindly to some recent comments from UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall broke down Chandler’s latest performance inside the Octagon alongside the man who defeated the former three-time Bellator champion, Paddy Pimblett.
Having seen the American fall to a fifth loss in seven UFC fights, the heavyweight king does not understand why Chandler fights the way he does.
“It’s bad fight IQ. … It’s weird because he’s obviously a really fit guy, but if you do a sprint for five minutes, no one’s going to be fit, are they?” Aspinall said. “He just goes out there, he throws from here, swinging, everything he does is picking up full blast.
“It’s mad for someone who has that many fights, I’m just surprised.”
It did not take long for the veteran lightweight contender to respond.
Michael Chandler brings up Jon Jones in response to Tom Aspinall’s criticism
Chandler’s one-sided loss to Pimblett at UFC 314 came on the heels of consecutive setbacks to Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier. ‘Iron’ has beaten only Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson since jumping ship from Bellator to the UFC.
That losing record has meant Aspinall is far from the only one giving critical takes on Chandler’s wild approach. But the 39-year-old evidently won’t be swayed and took to Threads to issue his response.
Dana White elevated Aspinall to undisputed status in June and the heavyweight fighter has been unbeatable in the UFC thus far. With that in mind, Chandler couldn’t fire similar shots at the Manchester native’s in-cage performances.
Instead, he pointed to Jon Jones’ refusal to fight Aspinall. Chandler compared it to his own failed wait for Conor McGregor to accuse the Englishman of hypocrisy for his past takes on that situation.
“‘Didn’t that big goober say this like 3 years ago? And then waited as long for Jon as I did for Conor after he criticized me for waiting for Conor? Cool,” Chandler wrote.
Many have quickly pointed out the key differences in the scenario. Aspinall endured a record interim title reign and was awaiting the champion for a logical unification fight.
Michael Chandler’s first fight back from his failed Conor McGregor wait did not go well
When Aspinall does return from his lengthy layoff later this year, he’ll hope for a better performance than Chandler had in his first fight since ending the wait for McGregor’s comeback.
The former Bellator champ spent two years on the sidelines while the Irishman’s comeback continually failed to come to fruition. It took the canceled McGregor vs. Chandler fight in June 2024 to finally make ‘Iron’ move on.
Though he had hoped to switch his sights from ‘The Notorious’ to the lightweight championship, a former adversary dealt a blow to those hopes. In their Madison Square Garden rematch, Oliveira comfortably beat Chandler across five rounds.
When his wait to compete comes to an end in October, the heavyweight king will plan to avoid a similar fate. Aspinall will headline UFC 321 against Ciryl Gane, defending his belt against the Frenchman in an all-European matchup that has been a long time coming.