UFC lightweight bruiser Michael Chandler recently swung back at Dustin Poirier who called him “Michael Chinler.”
The exchange between the 155-pound contenders happened via Twitter on May 13th.
“The Diamond” has been active on the social media platform looking for an opponent to compete against on July 30th at UFC 277. That day, he sent out a challenge to welterweight and lightweight fighters alike, tweeting: “Yall a bunch of (cat emoji) 155 or 170 anyone pull up July 30th. International call out. Get a deal done.”
Yall a bunch of 🐈 155 or 170 anyone pull up July 30th. International call out. Get a deal done 😤😤😤😤
Earlier on May 13th, a fan accused Poirier of being “scared” of Chandler. Then, another Twitter user responded to the claim, calling Chandler “Chinny.” The latter comment elicited a response from The Diamond, who tweeted: “Michael Chinler.”
@Vicctorrrr_ @PeakysPicks Michael Chinler
Although Chandler earned a stunning KO against Tony Ferguson last weekend at UFC 274, he was dropped in the first round. “Iron” was also dropped by Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira in his two bouts prior to the Ferguson fight.
All in all, Chandler has hit the mat in three of his four UFC contests.
Well, Chandler noticed Poirier’s dig and he took aim at The Diamond’s chin as well. He did so by congratulating Michael Johnson on his UFC on ESPN 36 KO win, the first knockout Johnson had earned inside the Octagon since taking out Poirier in September 2016.
Chandler tweeted on May 14th: “Speaking of Michaels & chins. Congrats to Michael Johnson on his KO tonight. 1st KO since Sept. 17, 2016 – UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs Johnson. Clean KO at 1:35 of the 1st rd in Hidalgo, TX. Michael earned a Performance of the Night Bonus. #chinhistory #ufcvegas54 @DustinPoirier.”
Poirier’s defeat to Johnson is the last time The Diamond has been finished via strikes as a professional mixed martial artist.
Chandler Recently Said He Has ‘No Interest’ in Battling The Diamond
Iron has a laundry list of fighters that he wants to take on, including Oliveira, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. However, one person that’s not on Chandler’s mind is Poirier. That’s what he told Ariel Helwani during a recent episode of “The MMA Hour.”
When asked who he’d rather fight between Diaz and Poirier, Chandler dismissed The Diamond.
“It would be Diaz. I have no interest in fighting Dustin, honestly,” Chandler said via MMA Fighting. “To be quite honest, I think he’s a great dude. I think I like him for the sport, but I also think I was completely disregarded and pushed aside whenever I came into the organization. He completely disregarded me, he acted as though I didn’t deserve to be where I was.
“Maybe it’s a bit more of a personal issue, but I also don’t think… is Dustin a draw? I guess he’s the No. 2 guy [in the UFC rankings] now, but he’s just kind of stayed at No. 2 and I don’t know how active he’s going to be. I did see him tweet that I was saying everyone else’s name but his as if I didn’t want to fight him because of technical reasons or what not, but it’s more like I forgot about him.”
Chandler Shares His ‘Respect’ for Poirier, But Has No ‘Desire’ to Step in Cage With Him
Although Chandler has “respect” for his lightweight counterpart, don’t expect to see Iron signing on to fight Poirier any time soon.
“Hat’s off for what he’s done in his career and I respect the heck out of him, he makes some great hot sauce,” Chandler explained. “But as of right now, I don’t really have any desire to fight him.”
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Michael Chandler Fires Epic Comeback After UFC Star Calls Him ‘Chinler’