LONDON â Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier may throw down after all.
Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) were recently involved in an altercation while in attendance for UFC 276, which got fans salivating at the idea of a potential matchup.
The former title challenger wants to welcome Conor McGregor back and was rather dismissive of Poirier. But Chandler has now hinted that he and âThe Diamondâ may have been booked to fight.
âAs of right now, me and Poirier are the only guys that are not matched up inside the top five,â Chandler said backstage at UFC Fight Night 208 on Saturday. âThereâs no secret Dustin Poirier and I have been on a collision course to stepping inside the octagon.â
He continued, âIâm not waiting. I think youâre gonna hear some fight news coming soon and it could be me and Dustin Poirier. Weâll see.â
Chandler doesnât understand where Poirierâs hostility towards him is coming from, but said he isnât concerned about whether or not he ends up fighting him.
âIn his mind, heâs got some ill-will towards me if you will and itâs gonna make it that much easier to knock him out whenever he oversteps if he and I do step inside the octagon, but I have not lost one minute of sleep thinking about Dustin Poirier, and Iâm gonna keep on doing what Iâm doing until the fight gets announced and then Iâm gonna go out there and finish my next opponent and become UFC champion next year.â
With both men known for their fan-friendly style, Chandler expects the potential matchup with Poirier to be a war.
âItâs gonna be fun for you guys, itâs gonna be fun for me, itâs gonna be not fun for my wife,â Chandler said. âBut I do think he and I are cut from the same cloth. All personal attacks aside, all personal vendettas aside, I respect him, he respects me.â
Imho Chandler is a overrated tool. Dude comes off fake as fuck.
I have to disagree. He almost had Charles. Brutally KOd Dan and Tony. I still think Dustin beats him though.
In an interview with DC&RC earlier this month, Poirier shared his thoughts on the incident, explaining that âif I have something to say, Iâm gonna say it when the personâs present.â Now, Chandler has shared his side of the story, and has provided a much more detailed version of events.
Speaking to press at UFC London, the #5 ranked lightweight shared how the incident kicked off as he and his wife were walking to their seats at the T-Mobile Arena.
âI walked down there with my beautiful wife, whoâs here with me in London, and we had our seats and we were walking over there and the security guards came over and basically said something to the effect of âHey, heâs [Chandler] not going to sit over there,â and I thought âOK, thatâs interesting.â We walked over and all of a sudden, I heard some chirpingâŚsome very vile venom being spit in my direction. I look over and Dustin Poirierâs pointing at me, so he obviously had a bone to pick with me that night,â said Chandler.
(Jeff Bottari/Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chandler said that if Poirierâs intention was to set up a future Octagon encounter, he didnât go about it the right way.
âItâs no secret heâs made it known that heâs ready for a fight,â said Chandler. âHeâs very, very thirsty for a fight, so heâs looking for everybody and anybody to throw venom at. I was the target that night and I was just trying to watch some fights with my wife.
âSo, if you think thatâs the way youâre going to get a fight with me, thatâs the absolute opposite way to get a fight with me. Iâm not here to get into physical altercations in a public forum, especially with my wife.â
Chandler Gives Poirier A Lesson in Cageside Etiquette
Itâs fair to say that Chandler, whoâs known as one of the most respectful fighters on the UFC roster, wasnât impressed by Poirierâs behavior that night. The 36-year-old said that prior to the incident, Dustin wasnât even on his radar as a potential next opponent.
â[I] completely rolled my eyes,â said Chandler. âI didnât even really want to fight him from the very beginning. I honestly thought Beneil Dariush being on the win streak that he was [on]âŚhe was in a number one contender fight with him and Islam before he got injuredâŚthat was the fight that I thought I would like to have to get me closer to the title than a guy like Dustin, whoâs talking about retiring.
âHe might have one foot out the door, heâs talking about going up to 170âŚdoes he still have that itch that we all have? We all want to be champion, heâs maybe trying to collect a paycheck, we donât know.â
Finally, Chandler delivered some choice advice for Poirier on how a fighter should handle themselves in public.
âBut yeah, it was definite eye rolling and⌠number one, be a professional, you know? We fight in a cage for moneyâŚyou donât need to get into a verbal altercation in front of my wife and the fans at T-Mobile arena to prove youâre a tough guy,â said Chandler.
Hard to disagree with Chandler here. Childish way for Poirier to drum up some beef.
Chandler vs Poirier is probably one of the best fights that can be made. Would definitely redeem the piss poor Chimaev-Diaz card if they put it on there as co-main (though hopefully 5 rounds).
279?
Please god
He was seconds from being champ, and is just impressive. But styles make fights, hence why I favor Dustin in this one. Anyway. it should be good!
God this scares me every time he does it. My butthole always puckers up and I think Iâm about to see a leg snap in half.
Nice
Two-time UFC lightweight title challenger Dustin Poirier may be days away from getting his next Octagon assignment after a long wait.
Poirier hasnât fought since a loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 last December. Heâs been calling for a fight for months, including a matchup with Nate Diaz that didnât come to fruition.
With Diaz booked for a fight with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279, Poirier is still without an opponent for his anticipated return to the Octagon. However, his agent teased a potential fight that may be in the beginning stages of getting booked.
Poirierâs representation, Tiki Ghosn, provided an insight into Poirierâs next fight on Tuesday in a chat with ESPNâs Brett Okamoto.
âLooks like itâs going to be [Michael Chandler],â Ghosn said on Poirierâs possible next opponent. âSounds like he wants the smoke and Dustin is going to give it to him.â
Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler May Finally Settle Their Beef
Image Credits: Jeff Bottari/Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
If the Poirier vs. Michael Chandler fight gets announced, itâll settle months of bad blood brewing between the two former title challengers. The two stars came face to face cageside at UFC 276 and nearly erupted into an all-out brawl before security personnel intervened.
Chandler had called out Conor McGregor for a fight following his knockout win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 273. However, itâs unclear when McGregor will return to fighting as he continues to recover from leg surgery.
Chandler and Poirier have both lost to Oliveira for the lightweight title, with Chandler losing for the then-vacant belt at UFC 262. Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev for the again vacant title at UFC 280 on Oct. 22.
If the Poirier/Chandler fight becomes official, the winner could potentially earn another title shot against the Oliveira/Makhachev victor. As if UFC fans need more reasons to tune in to the targeted matchup, tensions between the two of them could get more heated leading up to the fight.
