UFC 314: Rory MacDonald shares prediction for Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett, highlights potential path to victory for 'The Baddy': "It's a good fight"

Rory MacDonald shares prediction for Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett, highlights potential path to victory for 'The Baddy': "It's a good fight"

By Giancarlo Aulino

Modified Mar 30, 2025 05:31 GMT

Rory MacDonald weighs in on Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett [Image courtesy: Tim Welch on YouTube, and Getty Images] — Rory MacDonald weighs in on Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett. [Images courtesy: Tim Welch on YouTube and Getty Images]

Rory MacDonald recently shared his prediction for Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett and what could be the deciding factor in the fight. He highlighted a potential area that the Englishman can take advantage of to get his hand raised.

Chandler vs. Pimblett will be serving as the co-main event of UFC 314, which takes place in Miami, Florida on April 12. The clash could have major implications on the lightweight rankings as the winner could certainly insert their name in the title picture at 155 pounds.

During his latest appearance on Tim Welch's Red Hawk Recap, MacDonald weighed in on the matchup and what he believes could transpire. The former UFC welterweight title challenger mentioned that the beginning of the fight could be crucial for Chandler and highlighted that Pimblett's durability could provide a potential path to victory

"It's a good fight. Totally different styles. I think early on, maybe Michael but if Paddy can weather the storm of the explosivity and the high pace that Michael sets, I think he can maybe stay in there with maybe his grappling and weather the storm there."

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Check out the full episode featuring Rory MacDonald's comments below (30:52):

Rory MacDonald shares prediction on potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria title fight

During the aforementioned appearance, Rory MacDonald also weighed in on a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria lightweight title fight.

Makhachev and Topuria have been linked to a potential bout for quite some time, but it is now more realistic after Topuria relinquished his featherweight championship to move up to 155 pounds.

'Red King' predicted that the former featherweight champion would pull off an upset and mentioned that he believes he could do so by knocking the Dagestani out:

"Probably Topuria... Knockout. I think Topuria has good enough grappling to handle himself and keep the fight where he would want." [29:55 onwards in the aforementioned video]

Check out Rory MacDonald's UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing induction post below:

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About the author

Giancarlo Aulino is an MMA news writer and interviewer at Sportskeeda. Having been onboard since 2021, Aulino has written list articles, before transitioning to MMA news writing.

In addition to writing at Sportskeeda, Aulino can be heard on VIBE 105.5FM in Toronto, Canada, where he conducts interviews called 'VIBEtalks.' Aulino's segments have featured many respected athletes, broadcasters, and celebrities. In 2024, Aulino, along with his VIBE 105 Sports team members, rebranded their content to The Game Plan 'TGP'.

In addition to MMA, Aulino was previously a pro wrestling writer and soccer (Football) reporter and covered Toronto FC (Major League Soccer) and York United FC (Canadian Premier League).

Follow him on Twitter: @Gian_411

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Edited by Tejas Rathi