Paddy Pimblett will knock out Michael Chandler, says UFC champion

UFC champion Tom Aspinall believes that his fellow Englishman Paddy Pimblett will be able to knock out Michael Chandler this weekend.

Tomorrow night, Paddy Pimblett faces the biggest test of his mixed martial arts career. He will go head to head with Michael Chandler in what has the potential to be a really intriguing contest. The winner, in fact, could well vault themselves into a really good position when it comes to the conversation about earning a title shot.

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That’s especially true for Pimblett. He, like UFC champion Islam Makhachev, is riding a pretty nice win streak in the division right now. If he can knock off someone like Chandler, he would’ve earned the right to call himself a top contender at 155 pounds.

Of course, there are plenty of people out there who are doubting his ability to get the job done. One person who isn’t, though, is Tom Aspinall, who had the following to say on the matter in a recent interview.

Aspinall backs Pimblett

“I think people underestimate him a lot because of the way he acts outside the octagon, the way he looks, and his style is unorthodox to watch.

“That being said, I think he’s had some favorable match-ups here and there, but I think people are massively overlooking Paddy. I honestly think that Paddy can have a title run.

“I think he’s going to beat Michael Chandler. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.

“I watched Chandler up close fighting Charles Oliveira. I was cageside in New York, and I think when you watch a fight cageside, and you watch it on TV, it’s completely different.

“I think Paddy is going to knock him out, honestly, I do. I think most people would look at it and think Paddy is going to get the submission if he wins, but I honestly think Paddy is going to knock him out.”

Quotes via Bloody Elbow

Do you agree that Paddy Pimblett has the potential to knock Michael Chandler out? How do you picture this fight going? Let us know your thoughts on this one, BJPENN Nation!