"It was his first fight in the organization that I fought in 28 times!" - Dustin Poirier discloses why he was riled up at Michael Chandler for the first time since UFC 276 altercation
Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler have traded barbs on several occasions, well before their upcoming UFC 281 matchup was a sealed deal. The two even had to be separated when they had a heated run-in while attending UFC 276.
Wow 🤩 @DustinPoirier vs @MikeChandlerMMA https://t.co/Dw7aYb9ueV
Speaking about the incident, Poirier accepted that 'Iron' was very professional and kept walking. 'The Diamond' claims he chose to confront Chandler face-to-face rather than over tweets and media interviews. Poirier said during a recent episode of the DC & RC Show:
"Mike was very professional there. He kept it moving, but that was the first time I had seen him in person since Abu Dhabi since he went on record saying all this stuff. So when I saw him, I wanted to tell him what I thought about him."
Poirier also agreed that his rivalry with Chandler was rudimentarily due to disregard for each other's achievements. In January 2021, 'The Diamond', fresh off a win over Conor McGregor, stated that he would rather sell hot sauce than fight Michael Chandler, who had just knocked out Dan Hooker in his UFC debut. Justifying his comments, the Lousiana lad further said on the DC & RC Show:
"It was his first fight in the organization that I fought in 28 times! It was his first fight in the company."
Watch Poirier's comments at the 6:33 mark of the video below:
Michael Chandler thinks he 'possibly' would have said the same things if he was in Dustin Poirier's shoes
Despite their run-in at UFC 276, Michael Chandler insists that he had nothing personal against Dustin Poirier. Chandler also believes that even if Poirier is taking things personally, it is not directed at him but rather at what he has achieved so far within his short UFC stint.
Chandler couldn't say for sure if he would've fought Dustin Poirier back in January 2021 had they been in each other's shoes regarding their careers. 'Iron' also stated that he would 'possibly' have made similar comments as 'The Diamond'. The former Bellator champion said on The MMA Hour:
“Would I have said the same things he said about me? Possibly, if I was thinking I’d cut my teeth in the biggest organization in the world for 15 years like he did. So I can’t put myself in his shoes, but it’s not personal."
Watch Chandler's recent appearance on The MMA Hour below: