Dustin Poirier still sees Michael Chandler as the new kid on the block.
Poirier Annoyed By His Former Foe
The UFC rivals have been bickering between each other for years before their eventual fight at UFC 281 and it looks like it’ll continue long after, as well. Chandler was foiled by Poirier over the course of three rounds which saw “The Diamond” tap out Chandler with a rear-naked choke in round 3. Post-fight, Poirier and Chandler got into an argument, showing their rivalry had all but ended.
Nowadays, the UFC Lightweights go at it on ‘X’, with Chandler telling Poirier to retire and saying “we good” as to pass up Poirier on a second try to dethrone champion Islam Makhachev.
“Choked your ass out, and you haven’t fought since,” Poirier responded to Chandler’s tweet (read below), mentioning his long wait to fight UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
Choked your ass out, and you haven't fought since https://t.co/WLV5W3mvJB
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) July 2, 2024
“You Just Got Here, Buddy… You’re Not One Of Us.”
Poirier would expand on Chandler’s initial tweet as if the former Bellator champion were speaking for the rest of the UFC Lightweight division.
“Come on, dude. Look, ‘No, thanks. Retire. We good…’ Who the f*** is we?” Poirier said on The MMA Hour (h/t: Jed I. Goodman) “You just got here, buddy. You’re not one of us. You’re not ‘we’. I’ve been here, you know. Come on, dude. We’re good…Who’s we? You know, Welcome to the UFC, dude. You got one win in the UFC.
“Yeah, bro, he’s not one of us,” Poirier said, when asked if he was pissed off by Chandler’s tweet. “You know, I’ve been cutting my teeth in the UFC since January of 2011 or 2010, you know? He just got here. Who’s ‘we’? He’s speaking for the lightweight division. Dude, muscle milk Mike needs to chill.”
Dustin Poirier on Michael Chandler: You just got here, buddy. You're not one of us. You're not 'we'.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/vwINxmljg8
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 10, 2024
Chandler actually has two wins, not one, TKO’ing Dan Hooker in his debut in 2021 (right before Poirier’s upset win over Conor McGregor) and knocking out Tony Ferguson with a front kick up the middle in the months leading up to his fight and submission loss to rival Poirier.
But, Poirier’s UFC tenure is far longer than Chandler’s as Poirier crossed over to the promotion from the WEC. Around that time, Chandler was a titleholder in Bellator, his fighting home for many years.
Will “The Diamond” Fight Again?
UFC veteran Poirier is still contemplating on whether to continue his 31-fight UFC career, possibly for one more fight or even a boxing match with Nate Diaz at this point.
“We’ll see, I’m on the fence,” the former interim champ said of a potential retirement. “I’m on the fence, but something has to make sense for me to do it.”
https://www.youtube.com/live/po7xhwBze8E?si=PBAW34-jJ1TBAI4Q
