"Neither one of them have been super consistent" - Anthony Smith analyses recent weaknesses of Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier in light of their fight rumors

Michael Chandler (left), Anthony Smith (center), and Dustin Poirier (right). [Images courtesy: images via Getty Images]

The UFC's lightweight division is quite stacked at the top. One of the most heavily-anticipated fights between contenders is Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler. Per Ariel Helwani, that fight is set to be announced for UFC 281.

Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler is close to being finalized for UFC 281 on Nov. 12 at MSG. @arielhelwani breaks the news on #TheMMAHour.

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith opined on a potential fight between the two. In a recent appearance on Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, Smith said:

"I love that fight. I think it's the right fight for both guys. Like in the rankings and kind of where they're at. As far as the fans, that's one of the most fan-appealing fights you can get. You know to be honest, I don't know. To be fair, at this level of their division, where both of these guys are, neither one of them have been super consistent."

Although both Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler are considered high-level fighters who are absolutely capable of being champions in the division, they have not been consistent. This is evidenced by the fact that both have at least two losses in their last five fights.

Both have failed to rack up a decent win-streak, which might speak of them being better than perennial contenders. Anthony Smith went on to outline how both have failed to deliver, contrary to the expectations levied on them.

Smith touched upon Dustin Poirier's failure to capitalize on the vacant lightweight championship that many expected him to make his own after Khabib Nurmagomedov's exit. He said:

"And then, Poirier. We all considered him the uncrowned champion and you know, he should go in there and he's got every skillset in the world to beat Oliveira and he looks great but then you know, Oliveira gets to his spot. I don't think we've seen the best version of either one of those guys recently."

Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler's recent altercation

Besides them being the best ranked opponents for each other, Poirier and Chandler have history. The two had an altercation at UFC 276 where they exchanged some heated words. While it is unclear why the two went at it, it was bound to boil over if not for security officials on-hand.

Watch their skirmish at UFC 276 below:

Wow 🤩 @DustinPoirier vs @MikeChandlerMMA https://t.co/Dw7aYb9ueV

Dustin Poirier repeatedly screamed:

"I'm going to f**k you up. You are a fake motherf****r."

The two have been at it on social media too, taking digs at each other:

Dustin Poirier speaks about Michael Chandler. 👊 https://t.co/9Bl5c0HOVb

Despite his earlier criticism, Anthony Smith did praise what both offered in a potential matchup against each other:

"The only thing that's consistent is their likeability and their excitement. Like you know, you're going to get a fantastic fight, you know you like both guys. You know it's going to be a barn burner."

It is more than likely that 'The Diamond' and 'Iron' will meet next inside the octagon very soon. One can only hope that it sparks a run of form that bodes well for the lightweight division, with the championship hopefully finding a solid contender at UFC 280.

Check out Anthony Smith's comments on Michael Bisping's podcast: