It’s safe to say there’s no love lost between UFC lightweights Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. Although Poirier earned a submission victory over Chandler at UFC 281 this weekend, both fighters resumed their war of words at the post-fight press conference. Specifically, Poirier accused Chandler of cheating in the fight, including forcing his fingers into Poirier’s mouth.
When asked what he said to Chandler at the end of the fight, Poirier was forthright. “I told him this is my house. That’s what I told him. ‘This is my house.’ That’s it.” That was not it.
Poirier Blasts “Dirty Motherf*****” Chandler
“And I told him he’s a dirty motherf*****, too, for putting his fingers in my mouth and blowing his nose. It’s all good.” Chandler reacted to the accusations, claiming that he is not a cheater. “Yes, I will admit his mouth was open and my hand went inside of there and was on his mouthpiece.
He bit down, I was trying to pull it out. It wasn’t as though I was trying to pull it out, and he was biting it and I couldn’t get it out. It was more just the angle. I mean you’re getting pushed up against the cage.
Then when Dan Miragliotta was saying I was hitting him in the back of the head, I’ll have to go back and watch it to be honest with you but I know I was catching his ear, or at least in my mind I was catching his ear. So we had that kind of conversation. You all know I’m not a cheater. I love this game. I don’t cheat.”
Poirier flattened Chandler’s nose early in the fight, with blood cascading out of his face for much of the bout. When Chandler, on top of Poirier on the ground, blew his bloody nose all over Poirier’s face, he sprayed his opponent with red goop.
“I got a rocket up my nose right now to stop it from bleeding. If I wanted to breathe, that blood needed to come out. So it wasn’t a malicious, weird thing, but it was definitely like a, ‘Sorry you’re down there, but I didn’t create gravity.’
I did go over there, I’m a man of my word. I said win, lose or draw, I would shake his hand, and be respectful after. Something was said and I didn’t really like it so we’re still friends, enemies, whatever we are.
It wasn’t as graceful in victory as I would have liked. Don’t have expectations of other people, they’ll always let you down.” Do you think Chandler cheated? Let us know in the comments.
