Khabib Nurmagomedov, Francis Ngannou and other fighters in "disbelief" of Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler's incredible lightweight performance at UFC 281 clash
Khabib Nurmagomedov, Francis Ngannou, and Aljamain Sterling all took to Twitter to praise Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler for their thrilling performance at UFC 281. 'The Diamond' came out on top but had to walk through the fire of Chandler's early onslaught before he submitted 'Iron' in round three.
The first round of the bout was reminiscent of Chandler's fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 268, which won UFC Fight of the Year. It was a bloody affair that had fans and fighters out of their seats for as long as it lasted.
Following the fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ngannou, and Sterling all showed their admiration for the display of heart and toughness in the UFC 281 bout. 'The Eagle' posted on Twitter:
"Congratulations Dustin. It was amazing fight."
See the tweet below:
Congratulations Dustin
It was amazing fight 👏
Francis Ngannou tweeted:
"That fight was everything we thought it would be and more. Chandler is built different #ufc281"
See the tweet below:
That fight was everything we thought it would be and more 😳👏🏿 Chandler is built different #ufc281 @DustinPoirier @MikeChandlerMMA
Aljamain Sterling labeled both men as warriors in his tweet:
"This sport is so wild!! I’m in disbelief of that back and forth performance from these warriors! Congrats to the Diamond!!"
See the tweet below:
This sport is so wild!! I’m in disbelief of that back and forth performance from these warriors! Congrats to the Diamond!! #UFC281
Dustin Poirier was able to keep his record of never losing two fights in a row alive with an immense display of grit and will to win.
Khabib Nurmagomedov calls for Dustin Poirier vs. Beneil Dariush in Perth in 2023
Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Twitter following the conclusion of Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler to suggest the next fight for 'The Diamond'.
No.4-ranked Beneil Dariush defeated highly-touted prospect Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 and is hoping to secure a shot at the title soon. Poirier is currently ranked No.2 at lightweight and also has aspirations of another title shot.
Khabib Nurmagomedov suggested that 'The Diamond' and Dariush join Islam Makhachev in Perth in February. The new lightweight champion will hope to defend his belt against Alexander Volkanovski in the main event.
'The Eagle' tweeted the following:
"Makhachev vs Volkanovski, Poirier vs Dariush #ufc284 australia"
See the tweet below:
Makhachev vs Volkanovski
Poirier vs Dariush
#utc284 Australia
The winner of Poirier vs. Dariush could certainly face the winner of the UFC 284 main event, should 'The Diamond' be willing to fly to Australia for a quick turnaround.