"He was a different guy whenever we sat next to each other" - Dustin Poirier surprised to see Michael Chandler's respectful demeanour during their recent appearance on Daniel Cormier's podcast
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has accused Michael Chandler of changing his persona after the pair recently appeared on Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark's podcast.
At UFC 281 in November, the No.2-ranked Dustin Poirier will face No.5-ranked Michael Chandler in a likely No.1 contender bout for the 155lb title. 'Iron' had been campaigning for a superfight against Conor McGregor for some time but due to the uncertainty surrounding his return, the former Bellator champ turned his attention to 'The Diamond'.
Both Poirier and Chandler have recently appeared on the DC & RC show and discussed their upcoming bout. 'Iron' appeared respectful of 'The Diamond' throughout, but the latter has accused Chandler of acting differently in this interview than he has previously:
"It's not who he was a few interviews a go with Ariel Helwani or it's not who he is when the mic's in front of him in the octagon. He was a different guy whenever we sat next to each other in Abu Dhabi and spoke, that's just what it is... I don't know him personally, he might be a great guy."
Catch a clip from the podcast here:
Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier both head into this fight full of confidence. Poirier may have lost his last fight to former champ Charles Oliveira, but he picked up back-to-back wins against Conor McGregor beforehand. Similiarily for Chandler, the 36-year-old also lost to the Brazilian as well as Justin Gaethje, but few MMA fans could forget his stunning front-kick KO over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 the last time he made the walk to the octagon.
Michael Bisping offers his take on Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping believes the upcoming lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier should be considered a No.1 contender clash.
'The Count' highlighted that both fighters have lost to former champ Charles Oliveira, who will be competing for the vacant lightweight title against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, the former middleweight champ said:
"Dustin Poirier/Michael Chandler, that is, I mean, what a fight. Sensational matchup. Both guys are hunting for another title fight... They both fought for the belt kind of recently, they're both top of the food chain lightweights, but they both want to fight for the belt and they want to be involved in the biggest fights possible. I love it, I love the matchup... It's a good fight is what it is, it's a logical matchup... It's also one, I mean, who else is there, when Charles [Oliveira] and Islam [Makhachev] fight next month, who's next up [for a shot at the title]?"
Catch the full video here: