Michael Chandler eager for Paddy Pimblett clash after having faced the “murderers' row” of the UFC lightweight division

Michael Chandler was thrown into the UFC lightweight division's deep-end, no doubt upon request, when he made his debut against Dan Hooker at UFC 257 in 2021.

'Iron' then faced Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier in his next four fights. After a brief waiting period, hoping to secure a Conor McGregor clash, the Missouri native then faced 'do Bronx' for a second time at UFC 309 last November.

Chandler has aptly labeled his UFC tenure as facing the "murderers' row" of the division. He has finally begun looking for a potentially less-violent, but equally as fun, matchup for his next fight.

The former title challenger was recently interviewed by MMA Junkie, where he was asked about the rumors of a potential fight with British UFC star Paddy Pimblett. He said this:

"People have thrown out Paddy Pimblett. [That's] a fun fight, I think comparitively [to] the guys I have fought, the murderers' row I have fought since coming into the UFC, I welcome that fight. It's a big fight, it's a fun fight. I'm a fan of Paddy, I like the way he does things... Inside the confines of competition when that octagon door closes, I want to do some severe damage. I don't really see that in [Pimblett]."

Catch Michael Chandler's comments below (14:35):

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Michael Chandler should be removed from UFC rankings, believes Grant Dawson

Michael Chandler is the No. 7-ranked lightweight in the UFC. But fellow 155-pound fighter, Grant Dawson, believes that 'Iron' should not appear in the rankings at all.

The Missouri native is currently 2-4 inside the octagon, a record that does not warrant a place in the lightweight top 15, according to Dawson. 'KGD' himself is 10-1-1 in the UFC and is riding a three-fight winning streak after his win over Diego Ferreira at UFC 311 on Jan. 18.

Dawson was recently interviewed by Inside Fighting, where he discussed Chandler's ranking, saying:

"There are people who do not belong in the top 15 let alone the top 10. If you like at somebody like Michael Chandler, he's 2-4 in the UFC. You put his record up against my record, 11-1 in the UFC... Compared to 2-4 in the UFC, and you say, 'Yeah, the 11-1 guy [is] not ranked. The 2-4 guy ranked in the top 10, top 7.' It doesn't make any sense... You've got these guys, they're not looking to fight the up-and-comers. They need to take Michael Chandler out of there."

Catch Grant Dawson's comments below (7:40):