Dustin Poirier Confirms Date for UFC Return on Massive NYC Card

UFC, Dustin Poirier

Getty Dustin Poirier is seen on stage during the UFC 269 press conference.

UFC star Dustin Poirier has revealed he will mark his return to action on Nov. 12, the date for the promotion’s grand return to Madison Square Garden in New York for UFC 281.

Poirier has remained on the sidelines since his last outing against the uncrowned champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021. Oliveira got off to a rocky start in the opening round but managed to make his comeback in the third with a rear-naked choke to submit “Diamond.” It marked the second unsuccessful title shot for Poirier, who had previously failed in his quest for gold against the undefeated former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in Sep. 2019.

Following the loss, Poirier was not sure about the direction he wanted to go in. He was rallying for a match-up with fellow fan favorite Nate Diaz in a big-money showdown. Diaz seemed interested in the idea and went back and forth with Poirier online. However, all talks fizzled out after UFC expressed no interest in the potential bout.

On Aug. 26, Poirier reported the date for his highly-awaited return to the octagon, tweeting: “I’m fighting Nov 12th.”

The message came in response to a user who remarked that no announcement for a Poirier fight got made on the day the event tickets went public.


Poirier Is Expected To Fight Michael Chandler

During the International Fight Week marquee event of UFC 276, Poirier got into a brief scuffle with former title challenger Michael Chandler when the two crossed paths at T-Mobile Arena. Poirier was claimed to be the aggressor in the incident, which required company security to separate them.

Chandler had created history in May when he became the first man to knock Tony Ferguson out cold. He delivered a vicious front kick to the face that sent “El Cucuy” crashing down to the mat at UFC 274. Following the win, Chandler cut an electrifying promo calling out numerous athletes, including Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, and Oliveira.

Poirier took issue with Chandler not calling him out, which led to the heated confrontation between the two in July.


Chandler Opened Up About the Origins of His Dispute With Poirier

Chandler was taken by surprise during the incident as he did not expect Poirier to act in such a controversial manner. He detailed the origins of his dispute with Poirier, stemming back to Chandler’s arrival into the UFC from Bellator.

“Iron” Mike drew similarities with Poirier and explained why he did not call out “Diamond” after the win.

“I agree with you on how Dustin is and how he carries himself, what he does, the champion he is, the father/husband that he is, the community servant that he is,” said Chandler via MMA News. “I truly believe that you don’t see a lot of controversy coming out of Dustin. I think we’re very similar. He and I have had similar paths, both small-town kids getting after it.

“Sometimes the most similar people kinda butt heads if you will, but I think it does stem back to him saying ‘hey instead of fighting Chandler I’d rather sell hot sauce’”.