An announcement around a UFC clash between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler seems imminent, with reports suggesting that the bout is nearly finalised and the “Diamond” having teased ‘fight news coming soon’.
The two Americans have been linked to one another recently and even engaged in a heated ringside altercation at UFC 276 in July.
Chandler, who has accused Poirier of disrespecting him over the last year, addressed the pair’s confrontation while speaking at UFC London last month and said: “If I have to fight him, if I end up fighting him, he’s going to get knocked out.”
On Wednesday, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani and ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that Poirier vs Chandler is in the works for UFC 281, which is scheduled to take place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on 12 November.
Also on Wednesday, Poirier tweeted: “Fight news coming soon!!”
Both lightweights lost to Charles Oliveira in title fights in 2021, with Chandler, 36, having fought twice since his May defeat. Meanwhile, 33-year-old Poirier has not competed since his submission loss to Oliveira in December.
The “Diamond” is a former interim UFC lightweight champion and lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov via submission in a unification bout in 2019. Chandler is a former three-time Bellator lightweight title holder and signed with the UFC in late 2020.
Chandler’s UFC career began with a first-round knockout of Dan Hooker in January 2021, before he was submitted by Oliveira while challenging for the promotion’s vacant lightweight title last spring.
The 36-year-old then lost to Justin Gaethje on points in a fight of the year contender in November, before knocking out Tony Ferguson this May. Chandler’s front-kick finish of Ferguson is considered one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history.
