“Fireworks”— Michael Chandler assures an all-out explosive bout with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314

Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett are all set to face each other at UFC 314 to be held at the Kaseya Centre, Miami, on April 12, 2025. The co-main event is one of the most anticipated bouts, along with the headliner featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. In a candid interview with the UFC, the fighters talk about their motivation and expectations from the bout, to which Chandler replies with a single word, “Fireworks.”Both Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett are on their respective journeys to prove themselves within the ring. While the three-time Bellator lightweight champion Chandler is hell-bent on getting a title bout right after UFC 314, Pimblett too, is on a mission to change his position with the promotion from a prospect to a contender. In a previous interview, Pimblett talked about how he might be facing Charles Oliveira towards the end of the year, and a win in both bouts might put him on a title run in 2026. “I've been doing this for so long. I'm excited to go out there and put it on the line. People haven't seen it, maybe but over the last couple years I've really uh put together some really good game plans.” Chandler talked about his approach, “There's some things that happened in the Charles Olivera fight. That really reminded me that I am becoming more and more of a veteran I think I'm still getting better So I'm excited to go out there and compete…this fight is going to be Fireworks on April 12th”On the contrary, Pimblett’s motivation is simple, “I'm want to come and take rank seven off Michael … Want to stop getting called a prospect and start getting called a contender. The goal is always to become world champion. And obviously the extra motivation is my babies.” Paddy continues to talk about his family and ultimate motivation, “I've got to put food on the table for them And if I lose I won't be getting anywhere near as much. So there's there's no such thing as losing. We just come in to win."While both fighters seem to be confident about winning the bout, Pimblett stated, “I think I'm going to make it look easier than they did. You know what I mean. They play into Mike's style. They stand there and brawl with him. I think anywhere this fight goes, I'm going to win. To be honest, the only way I lose here is if I get hit with a big, crazy, wild shot on the chin. And as you all know, Scousers don't get knocked out”, to which Chandler replied, “Scousers don’t get knocked out, but they have never been hit by the likes of me.”Also read: “Dumb Sh*t”: Former UFC lightweight interim champion dodges Conor McGregor’s presidential run questionBoth Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett are on a mission to prove themselves and legitimize their stance for a title bout. UFC 314 is a major opportunity for them to make it count and add to their MMA stats.