UFC 314 Odds, Prediction: Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett

Pimblett’s latest victory came last summer at UFC 304, where he finished King Green by submission just 3:04 into their contest to remain undefeated in six career UFC appearances. Chandler looks to salvage his position as the No. 7 lightweight in the UFC rankings after suffering defeat in each of his past two contests, capped by a five-round unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 and has now lost four of his past five fights during a run that started with a failed bid for the UFC lightweight title versus Oliveira almost four years ago at UFC 262.

Pimblett is listed as a -150 favourite on the UFC 314 odds. Chandler trails as a +125 underdog and the odds of Saturday’s co-main event going a full five rounds are pegged at +350.

Michael Chandler UFC 314 Odds

Few fighters bring as much excitement to the octagon as Michael Chandler. However, few also endure such hard luck. The former Bellator lightweight champion has earned performance bonuses in each of his past four octagon appearances including the Performance of the Night in his most recent victory, a second-round KO win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274. Iron Mike followed that up by dominating Dustin Poirier on the mat for extended periods before suffering a submission loss in their UFC 281 tangle. Opponents have now been forced to overcome multiple submission attempts in each of his past two outings and must be wary of more versus Pimblett, who ranks second among active UFC lightweights with 2.13 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Paddy Pimblett UFC 314 Odds

For the third time in six octagon appearances, Paddy Pimblett finished an opponent in five minutes in his last outing, but must now faced a seasoned fighter with plenty of experience in marathon battles. Overall, Pimblett has seen five of his past eight fights end in the first round and has enjoyed little success fighting in championship rounds, losing two of his three career fights that lasted a full five rounds. That raises concerns as to how deep Paddy the Baddy can go against Chandler and increasing the likelihood that the former Cage Warriors lightweight and featherweight champion may look to end things early against the beleaguered Chandler. That strategy has paid off for Pimblett, who has earned Performance of the Night bonuses in each of his past four finishes including three straight submission wins.

UFC 314 Prediction: Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett

While Michael Chandler is equally comfortable fighting standing or changing levels, he likely holds the edge on his feet in a long, drawn-out battle. However, things could go sour very quickly against a skilled submission specialist like Pimblett, who has proven his ability to absorb a lot of punishment and finish opponents early. Whichever way this fight goes, look for it to produce Saturday’s Performance of the Night.

Prediction: Pimblett by submission (+200)