"He tends to get in battles that are more 50-50 when they don't have to be" - Eddie Alvarez picks Michael Chandler to beat Dustin Poirier, but only if he follows this gameplan
![Eddie Alvarez (left), Michael Chandler (middle), and Dustin Poirier (right) [Images Courtesy: @ealvarezfight, @miekchandlermma, and @dustinpirier on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/1b6dd-16584297170230-1920.jpg?w=500)
Eddie Alvarez has offered up his assessment of a possible Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier throwdown.
At the ONE Championship x Amazon Prime press conference in Los Angeles, the former Bellator and UFC lightweight world champion spoke with Helen Yee. Alvarez covered several subjects, including what lies next for him, thoughts on the looming UFC title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, and much more.
In regards to a hotly discussed but as of yet unconfirmed lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez said:
"Mike, if he used his wrestling. Immediately I go to game planning who's going to win [laughs]. Mike has good dominant wrestling and really good top position. He's a hard guy to submit and he's so strong on top. I think if he used that more often, he would dominate more fights and not be in these slugfests that he puts himself in. But he has that knockout power."
He added:
"He's excited about it. So he tends to get in battles that are more 50-50 when they don't have to be. If he was a little bit more strategical and used his wrestling, I think he could dominate a guy like Dustin Poirier and he could win that matchup pretty easily if he did that. Whether he's going to do that or not is up to him... The easy path or the entertaining path."
Watch the interview video below:
Poirier is currently the No.2-ranked lightweight fighter in the UFC while Chandler is ranked No.5.
The two recently had heated words with one another and the documented encounter went viral within the mixed martial arts community.
Watch the altercation below:
Eddie Alvarez's history with Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler
Alvarez has a competitive history with both men having clashed with each warrior on a pair of occasions.
Eddie Alvarez first fought Michael Chandler at Bellator 58 where he lost his lightweight crown via a fourth-round rear-naked choke. This fight is often referenced by many as the best bout in the company's history.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler II saw 'The Underground King' even up the series with a split decision win at Bellator 106. With the win, he regained the crown that he had lost.
The first fight with Dustin Poirier ended in a bit of an inauspicious no contest following an illegal knee errantly thrown by Alvarez at UFC 211. Their rematch at UFC on Fox 30 saw Poirier finish Alvarez with strikes in the second stanza of their sequel.