UFC 314 debutant Patricio ‘Pitbull’ shared details of his recent meetup with former rival Michael Chandler.
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ and Michael Chandler are two of the greatest fighters to ever compete in the now-defunct Bellator. As they reunite at UFC 314 fight week under a different promotional banner, tensions remained between the two sides, before Chandler and Pitbull talked out their beef at media day.
Chandler co-headlines UFC 314 opposite Paddy Pimblett in a hyped lightweight bout on the card. Meanwhile, Chandler’s former Bellator adversary Pitbull will make his first walk to the UFC Octagon this weekend, against former interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez.
In the lead-up to UFC 314, Pitbull declared he wouldn’t squash his bad blood with Chandler and would never accept an apology for their past trash talk. Chandler took shots at Pitbull and his brother, Patricky, during their Bellator tenures that rubbed the former Bellator titleholder the wrong way.
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ shares details of run-in with Michael Chandler at UFC 314
Chandler took a more modest approach to his relationship with Pitbull in recent interviews, regretting his attacks towards Pitbull and his brother and wishing him the best in his UFC chapter. While both fighters make their final preparations for UFC 314, the two sides came face-to-face at media day, and things were surprisingly cordial between the two former Bellator adversaries.
During his UFC 314 media day press conference, Pitbull explained how a recent conversation with Chandler pivoted his stance towards his former rival.
“He apologized to me, he said some harsh words and was going through a rough moment in his life, and said some harsh words after fighting me and my brother. So I accepted [his apology],” Pitbull revealed.
“He had the honor to come and say that, so I accepted it.”
Chandler and Pitbull squared off at Bellator 221 with Pitbull finishing the UFC star in just 61 seconds. While Pitbull isn’t ruling out some fights at lightweight in the UFC Octagon, a matchup with Chandler is unlikely after the latter’s recent remarks.
Michael Chandler gives a surprising answer to offer to get ‘revenge’ vs. Patricio ‘Pitbull’
Chandler shut down a potential rematch with Pitbull under the UFC banner. He declared he has no desire for ‘revenge’ against Pitbull despite the brutal nature of his loss to the former Bellator two-division titleholder.
Pitbull signed with the UFC after a long, decorated tenure in Bellator, which included multiple world championship victories. He’s considered by many to be the greatest fighter to ever compete under the Bellator banner.
Chandler is looking to get back in the win column after a 2-4 run in the UFC Octagon, a trend that Pitbull is looking to avoid in his UFC chapter. After a loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, time is running out for Chandler to potentially make another run at the UFC lightweight title.
After weeks of uncertainty, Chandler and Pitbull have put their history on the shelf as both look to make statements at UFC 314.
