Pimblett wants first title defense against Topuria: ‘I’ll smash his teeth in’

Paddy Pimblett thinks he’s going to beat Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in Miami, Florida this weekend. And he believes Michael Chandler thinks that too.

In a new interview on the Full Send Podcast, Pimblett talked about Chandler’s willingness to abandon strategy for entertainment.

“He comes out and tries to entertain,” Pimblett said. “Obviously I love entertaining, it’s great, but first and foremost with fights we want to win the fight. It sounds bad to say but I’d rather have a boring fight and win it.”

“I’m saying ‘You’re getting beat,’ and he’s saying ‘We’re gonna have a great fight,’” he added. “He’s not saying ‘I’m gonna win, I’m gonna win.’ He comes off very confident but at the same time I don’t think he is. I think he has at the back of his mind that he’s gonna lose.”

Pimblett is coming into UFC 314 with a masterplan in mind that will get him to the title in two wins.

“Obviously I don’t look past the opponent,” he began. “But I beat Michael Chandler, finish Michael Chandler in two [rounds], and then I gotta fight someone like Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi. Charles or Justin [Gaethje]. Dustin [Poirier] is gonna be retired by then. Or even Armen [Tsarukyan], but I think he’ll have a fight by then. Once I beat them, fight for a title in 2026. That’s my road now, that’s the path I’m gonna follow.”

With Ilia Topuria jockeying for a lightweight title fight right now, many are asking “The Baddy” if he wants “La Leyanda” to be holding the belt in 2026.

“No, I don’t want him to be champ,” Pimblett said of Topuria. “I don’t want him to be champ at all. F—k that midget. I’d rather win the belt, then he can fight me for the title when I got it. And then I’ll have my first defense smashing his little teeth in.”

Paddy knows he’s got a world of doubters out there but he’s very confident that he’s going to shock everyone who’s still living in the past.

“This is my time,” Pimblett declared. “I’ve got to come in and show everyone the old guard is fading out and the new guard’s coming through and I am one of the new guard.”

Paddy Pimblett vs. Michael Chandler goes down on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 314, airing this Saturday April 12th. Make sure to tune in for all the news, results and highlights.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 314 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+)

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 314: “Volkanovski vs. Lopes” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.