Michael Chandler has labelled Tom Aspinall a ‘big goober’ following the British heavyweight’s review of his last fight.
Chandler, 39, was dominated by Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 in his most recent octagon appearance, with the American succumbing to nasty ground-and-pound strikes from the Liverpudlian in round three.
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Chandler was left bloodied and bruised by Pimblett at UFC 314Credit: Getty
In a video on his YouTube channel last week, UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall broke down the clash between the two men, alongside fellow British MMA star Pimblett.
“I don’t want to slag him off, but [Chandler showed] some bad fight IQ,” Aspinall explained, before Pimblett agreed.
“It’s weird, because he’s obviously a really fit guy,” Aspinall continued.
“But if you do a sprint for five minutes, no one is going to be fit, are they?
“That’s what he does. He just goes out there, throws, swinging, [and] everything he does is picking up full blast.
“It’s mad for someone who has that many fights. I’m just surprised.”
Chandler is known for his all-out brawler fight style in the octagon, as he can usually be seen pushing forward relentlessly to secure a huge knockout.
But the American clearly didn’t take Aspinall’s words too kindly, as he replied to the Brit via threads on Monday.
“Didn’t that big goober say this, like, three years ago?” Chandler wrote.
“And then he waited as long for Jon [Jones] as I did for Conor [McGregor] after he criticised me for waiting for Conor? Cool.”
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Chandler hinted at Aspinall being hypocritical with his criticismCredit: Getty
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Aspinall had criticised Chandler’s fight IQ in a video with PimblettCredit: Tom Aspinall Official – YouTube
Before he was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion, Aspinall had been linked to a fight with UFC legend Jones for months.
Jones had been urged to defend the heavyweight title against Aspinall, having only put it on the line once—against Stipe Miocic—since winning it by submitting Ciryl Gane in 2023.
The entire saga ended after an event in Baku, Azerbaijan, last month, when UFC CEO Dana White announced Jones had retired, meaning Aspinall, who was the interim champion, was elevated to the undisputed king.
Aspinall makes his first heavyweight title defence against Gane at UFC 321 on October 25.
Members of the MMA fraternity had warned Aspinall not to follow a similar path to Chandler, who waited for years to fight Irish UFC star McGregor.
The pair coached on season 33 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2023 and were set to settle their differences in the octagon last year.
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McGregor pulled out of his highly-anticipated bout with Chandler after hurting his toeCredit: Getty
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Chandler vs McGregor is one of the biggest fights in UFC history to never happenCredit: Getty
However, Chandler’s main event bout with McGregor at UFC 303 in June 2024 was cancelled when the latter suffered a toe injury during training.
The bout was never rescheduled, and McGregor still hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in the summer of 2021.
Chandler, meanwhile, went on to fight Charles Oliveira in November, putting on an impressive performance against the Brazilian fan-favourite, but he was ultimately outpointed after five rounds.
What is Michael Chandler’s record in the UFC?
‘Iron’ has just two wins on his UFC record since making his promotional debut in January 2021.
He stopped Dan Hooker at UFC 257, before receiving a lightweight title shot in just his second bout with the promotion.
However, Chandler was finished by Oliveira in May 2021 in the pair’s first meeting, 19 seconds into round two, and the American lost his next fight to Justin Gaethje six months later.
Michael Chandler breaks silence on brutal Paddy Pimblett defeat
He then bounced back with a Knockout of the Year contender head kick finish win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, but he has since lost three bouts in a row to Poirier, Oliveira, and Pimblett.