LONDON – 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 “The Diamond” may have been booked to fight.
“As of right now, me and Poirier are the only guys that are not matched up inside the top five,” Chandler said backstage at UFC Fight Night 208 on Saturday. “There’s no secret Dustin Poirier and I have been on a collision course to stepping inside the octagon.”
He continued, “I’m not waiting. I think you’re gonna hear some fight news coming soon and it could be me and Dustin Poirier. We’ll see.”
Chandler doesn’t understand where Poirier’s hostility towards him is coming from, but said he isn’t concerned about whether or not he ends up fighting him.
“In his mind, he’s got some ill-will towards me if you will and it’s 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 I’m gonna keep on doing what I’m doing until the fight gets announced and then I’m gonna go out there and finish my next opponent and become UFC champion next year.”
With both men known for their fan-friendly style, Chandler expects the potential matchup with Poirier to be a war.
“It’s gonna be fun for you guys, it’s gonna be fun for me, it’s gonna be not fun for my wife,” Chandler said. “But 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.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.
