Gilbert Burns: Michael Chandler Should Stick to Striking Against Paddy Pimblett

Gilbert Burns doubts Michael Chandler can hold his own on the ground against Paddy Pimblett.

Chandler and Pimblett are set to clash at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. It’s almost a home outing for Chandler, who trains at Kill Cliff FC in Florida. “Iron” was recently seen training with former welterweight title contender Burns.

Burns revealed that he had the pleasure of wrestling with Pimblett in Mexico in the past. Known for his elite grappling, Burns considers “The Baddy” a high-level grappler as well. According to “Durinho,” Chandler’s key to victory against the Liverpudlian will be to stay on the feet. If forced to wrestle at all, Burns advises Chandler to attempt ground-and-pound instead of engaging in jiu-jitsu exchanges against Pimblett.

“Michael’s ready. Facing a guy that is very tough,” Burns said on the UFC 314 Countdown show. “I had honor to grapple with Paddy when I was in Mexico. Guy has a high-level grappling. So the key to Michael is to keep the fight on the feet. If he has to grapple, he has to take him down and ground-and-pound. You don’t want to grapple with a grappler.”

While Chandler is 2-4 in the UFC and coming off consecutive losses, he has only fought elite competition. Meanwhile, Pimblett is undefeated in six UFC outings with four finishes but faces a huge step up in competition in Chandler.