Beneil Dariush claims Dustin Poirier will beat Michael Chandler at UFC 281
Beneil Dariush believes Dustin Poirier will defeat Michael Chandler in their upcoming UFC 282 clash. According to 'Benny', Chandler has the skill set to defeat 'The Diamond' if he sticks to conventional striking and wrestling.
However, Dariush believes that Chandler's obsession with being an exciting fighter will prove to be detrimental to 'Iron'. The UFC lightweight contender told Morning Kombat's Luke Thomas:
"If Chandler fights smart he should be able to win this fight. But Chandler, right now, he's so focused on being exciting, he's so focused on being enteretaining and for the fans, he puts himself in really bad situations."
Dariush continued to breakdown what Chandler needs to do to win:
"I think if he goes out there, plays a very conservative striking game, lot of wrestling, he should be able to pull this off. But in reality I think Dustin Poirier is gonna end up winning this fight because Chandler's gonna try to be more than he needs to be."
Watch Dariush's comments at the 15:50 mark of the video below:
Michael Chandler made his UFC debut with a highlight-reel first-round KO win over Dan Hooker in January 2021. A dropped title shot against Oliveira in a barnburner, a subsequent decision loss to Justin Gaethje in an iconic war, and a front kick KO to Tony Ferguson were enough for Chandler to be regarded as one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster.
Beneil Dariush doesn't think Michael Chandler deserves a title shot even if he beats Dustin Poirier
Michael Chandler earned a shot at the vacant UFC title after a win over Dan Hooker who was coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier. Meanwhile, Beneil Dariush continues to be snubbed even after his recent win over a surging Mateusz Gamrot, which was 'Benny's eighth consecutive victory.
According to Dariush, Michael Chandler already got his shot at UFC gold and doesn't deserve another one immediately. 'Benny' claimed that it would be a "clown show" if Chandler was granted another title shot with a win over Poirier. Going into his UFC 280 clash against Gamrot, Dariush said in an interview with Helen Yee:
"Honestly, I think he's just trying to hype himself up. I don't think that's true. But if that does happen, man... That's basically a clown show. What? The guy has a title shot and lost and then lost again. So, it doesn't make sense. After I beat [Mateusz] Gamrot, I don't think there's anyone who can step in front of me."
Watch Beneil Dariush's comments at the 6:40 mark of the video below: