Top-ranked UFC lightweights Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier got into a heated argument during UFC 276 on Saturday night. And “Iron” finally spoke about the situation.
He didn’t give much, however, and at the time of this writing, very little is known about what transpired between the two to cause the altercation. Chandler and Poirier have a history of banter and with both of them sitting in the 155-pound top five, the promotion could schedule that clash next.
Here’s the video of Chandler and “The Diamond” going at it courtesy of UFC welterweight star Gilbert Burns:
Taking to Twitter the next day, Chandler insinuated that Poirier was the one who escalated first. “Simple truth in life – you aren’t yourself when you’re that thirsty,” Chandler tweeted. “Keep your cool, be a professional, especially in public. Your insecurities are showing. 💎”
Poirier has been silent about the incident since. But, that doesn’t mean fans didn’t weigh in.
“Mike ur literally 2-2 in ufc with a 1/4 of the followers on Instagram as @DustinPoirier,” someone tweeted to Chandler. “Let’s just admit here that you are still the new kid on the roster and you still have a lot to do before you’re allowed to talk down to veterans of the ufc like Dustin and Charles.”
“If you couldn’t beat gaethje you literally have no chance against Dustin,” another chimed in. “He never loses to strikers.”
“We need this fight,” a Twitter user wrote. “History needs this fight.” And they shared another tweet from May: “Poirier-Chandler is the only chapter of the Poirier-Gaethje-Alvarez-Chandler series that needs to be completed. Every combination has resulted in a classic fight. Absolutely has to happen.”
Poirier Fought for UFC Gold Last Year, Chandler Is Coming Off a Big Win Over Tony Ferguson
The last time fans saw Poirier step inside the Octagon was in December at UFC 269 when he challenged Charles Oliveira for the lightweight belt. Poirier was riding a three-fight win streak which included two straight TKO wins over Conor McGregor and a thrilling decision victory against Dan Hooker.
However, his momentum came to a crashing halt when he was submitted by Oliveira in the third round.
Chandler, who has also tasted defeat at the hands of Oliveira in 2021, earned the biggest win of his UFC career in May at UFC 274 when he blasted Tony Ferguson with a head kick, knocking out the fan-favorite veteran.
With Oliveira and Islam Makhachev appearing to be next up for a lightweight championship tilt, a fight between Poirier and Chandler makes sense. The Diamond sits at No. 2 in the division and Chandler No. 5.
And whoever wins the bout would catapult themselves back into the title picture.
Chandler Recently Shared His Desire to Fight Jorge Masvidal
Iron recently shared that he’d like to get locked inside a cage with UFC 170-pound superstar Jorge Masvidal. “I’d love this fight down the line… what’s say you @GamebredFighter,” Chandler tweeted.
Burns, the fighter who captured the viral Poirier/Chandler argument, piped in, writing: “Don’t play with my food.” Burns has been actively campaigning for a fight with Masvidal and “Gamebred” has also shown interest in the scrap.
Well, Masvidal took notice of Chandler and Burns’ words, tweeting back: “I’m no man’s food. I’ve got more money than you both and I’m hungrier than both of y’all. I’ll see someone end of this year. God bless”
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Michael Chandler Sounds Off on Dustin Poirier After UFC 276 Altercation