UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler has his first assignment of 2025 in the calendar, and it unsurprisingly won't see the promotion revisiting plans for him to face Conor McGregor.
After waiting a considerable time for a showdown with the Irishman, Chandler finally moved on by rematching Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 last November.
A second defeat to "Do Bronx" has left the former Bellator champion with a 2-4 record under the UFC banner and outside the championship conversation at 155 pounds.
He'll look to rectify that in 2025, starting with a five-round co-main event opposite one of the division's most prominent rising names in Paddy Pimblett.
That bout was revealed by Dana White among a slew of announcements Thursday night, with Chandler and Pimblett slated to co-headline the UFC 314 pay-per-view in Miami on April 12.
Fans were quick to give their thoughts on the news, taking to social media with predictions for the battle between experience and youth.
Many focused on the bout marking Chandler's second since the canceled McGregor fight last July, while others went back and forth with their takes on who will emerge victorious inside Kaseya Center.