Michael Chandler has Dustin Poirier in his sights already. On the Fighter vs the Writer podcast, Chandler explained why he wants a piece of “El Diamante”, and has done ever since he arrived in the UFC earlier this year.
“I don’t think Dustin Poirier’s a bad guy. I don’t think he thinks I’m a bad guy. But as a competitor, he called me and Charles fighting fool’s gold. He dismissed me saying he wouldn’t fight me in the UFC even after I knocked out Dan Hooker.
Michael Chandler Wants To Fight Dustin Poirier: “he’s always been a name on the list”
So he was just a little bit more dismissive of me. I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I actually think he’s a great guy. I think he’s a phenomenal ambassador for the sport but he and I, when it comes to the competition aspect of us both being fighters inside the same division, I think we both have a little bit of a bone to pick with each other.”
Chandler claimed that he’s wanted a chance to fight Poirier since day one, requesting “The Diamond” by name. “That’s what I wanted to do when I came into the UFC.
I wanted to fight all the top guys and Poirier was actually one of the guys that we asked for and he declined in the very beginning, which I have no problem with that. He was at the top of the division and I was new guy from the outside of the UFC coming in.
So he’s always been a name on the list. He’s a guy that I respect, a guy that I admire inside of the sport of mixed martial arts and a guy I would love to compete against.”
Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier share the distinction of losing to Charles Oliveira in title fights. Chandler lost to Oliveira via TKO in the second round, while Poirier succumbed to a rear naked choke in the third. Charles Oliveira retains the lightweight belt, and will almost definitely defend the belt in 2022.
Chandler was impressed by Oliveira’s performance against Dustin Poirier, as the Brazilian entered the Octagon as a betting underdog despite his position as defending champion.
“More than anything, I guess it was the admiration. The jubilation of watching Charles Oliveira do what he did. When nobody thought he was going to be able to do that, except most of his fellow countrymen in Brazil and maybe a couple analysts and a couple of his fellow fighters.
Coupled with loving the sport even though I lost to Charles Oliveira, loving the sport and being pumped up on the sport.” Would you want to see Poirier vs Chandler in 2022? Let us know in the comments.
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