Dustin Poirier is accusing Michael Chandler of fish-hooking in their UFC 281 showdown.
Poirier vs. Chandler played out how fans and analysts expected; an all-out war between two savages. Usually, after brutal fights between rivals, the fighters make up with their differences settled. This might not be the case for ‘Iron’ and ‘The Diamond.’
DUSTIN POIRIER MAKES MICHAEL CHANDLER TAP 😱 😱 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/aIctOl61ln
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2022
After beating Chandler by a third-round submission, Poirier accused ‘Iron’ of a fish hook and intentionally blowing his bloody nose on him during the fight. Fish-hooking in MMA refers to a fighter putting their fingers into an opponent’s mouth or nose and pulling away. The Louisiana native doubled down on his claims during the UFC 281 post-fight media interview by saying:
“I told him this is my house. That’s what I told him. ‘This is my house.’ That’s it. And I told him he’s a dirty motherf*****, too— for putting his fingers in my mouth and blowing his nose. It’s all good.”
Michael Chandler responds to cheating accusations
Chandler has never been shy with a microphone in front of him. During his post-fight media interview, ‘Iron’ was asked about Poirier’s accusations and had this to say:
“I’ll admit his mouth was open, and my hand went inside there and was on his mouthpiece. He bit down, and I was trying to pull it out. It wasn’t as though I was trying to pull it out, and he was biting it and I couldn’t get it out. It was more of the angle. You’re getting pushed up against the cage, I mean, it’s just (difficult).”
Chandler concluded by saying:
“If I wanted to breathe, that blood needed to come out, so I mean it wasn’t a malicious, weird thing. But it was definitely a, ‘Hey, man. Sorry you’re down there.’ I didn’t create gravity. When (referee) Dan Miragliotta was saying I was hitting him in the back of the head, I don’t know – I would have to go back and watch it. But I know I was catching him in his ear, or at least in my mind I was catching him in his ear. So yeah, we had that conversation. You all know I ain’t a cheater. I love this game. I don’t cheat.”
Poirier vs. Chandler was the UFC 281 fight of the night. ‘Iron’ is now 2-3 in the UFC, but his fan-friendly fighting style could lead to a matchup against Conor McGregor or another superstar next. Meanwhile, ‘The Diamond’ is in a position to earn a lightweight title shot with another win.
THIS MICHAEL CHANDLER VS DUSTIN POIRIER FIGHT ABSOLUTELY INSANE ‼️#UFC281
— Javier Jesus Urquieta (@JavierUrquieta_) November 13, 2022
