When Dustin Poirier spoke about "special" meeting with Mike Tyson before UFC 281 clash against Michael Chandler: "It was awesome"
Dustin Poirier once spoke about an encounter he had with heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson. The irony of the meeting was that it took place ahead of 'The Diamond's' UFC 281 clash with Michael Chandler, whose nickname 'Iron' draws inspiration from Tyson's 'Iron Mike' moniker.
After beating Chandler, Poirier took part in an interview on The MMA Hour, where renowned combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani asked him about his encounter with Tyson. Poirier described the meeting with glee, defining it as an unforgettable moment.
"Throughout my fighting career, I've always appreciated Mike Tyson's ability to put into words the feelings that fighters have and just how crazy the chaos is. He speaks very elegantly about everything. If you watch his documentary, it was awesome to see him speak. So, I've been a fan of his for so long. To shake his hand and to talk to him was something special to me."
To add to the moment, Poirier also mentioned that he was wearing a hat celebrating another legendary boxing knockout artist, Marvin Hagler.
"And then, dude, I had the Marvin Hagler hat on, take a picture with Tyson with the Hagler hat on, this is just freaking crazy, man."
Check out Dustin Poirier's comments about meeting Mike Tyson (7:01):
Motivated by his meeting with Tyson, Poirier had a war for the ages with Chandler at UFC 281, surviving an early onslaught to submit 'Iron' in round three. It was the first submission loss of Chandler's career, but Poirier's accomplishment was overshadowed by the rampant cheating in the bout, perpetrated by Chandler.
Dustin Poirier and Mike Tyson's upcoming fights
Dustin Poirier has already come up short in his two prior bids for undisputed UFC gold against renowned grapplers Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. He will get his third and likely final shot at the lightweight strap when he squares off against pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev this weekend in the main event of UFC 302.
Meanwhile, Mike Tyson hasn't fought since his exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which was his first time in the ring since his last professional bout in 2005.
He is gearing up to take on influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a return to professional fighting. The bout was initially scheduled for July 20 but has since been postponed after Tyson's recent ulcer flare-up during a flight. Paul has since revealed that a new date will be announced soon for the Netflix spectacle.