Bookies Favor ‘Diamond’ Over ‘Iron’

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is working on a potential 155-pound matchup between top division contenders Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler, currently attached to the upcomin…


UFC 276: Adesanya v Cannonier
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is working on a potential 155-pound matchup between top division contenders Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler, currently attached to the upcoming UFC 281 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card, set to go down on Sat., Nov. 12, 2022 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Sports Books over at BetOnline.ag opened Poirier as the -150 favorite, but “The Diamond” quickly jumped to -180 (5/9). As of this writing, Chandler is the +155 (31/20) underdog. Like most betting lines, you can expect these numbers to fluctuate as we get closer to fight night.

Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) is coming off a second-round submission loss to then-lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, snapping a three-fight winning streak that included back-to-back wins over Conor McGregor. “The Diamond” has captured 10 of his last 12 and is currently ranked No. 2 at 155 pounds.

That’s three spots above the No. 5-ranked Chandler, who managed to put together a 2-2 record since crossing over from Bellator MMA back in late 2020. “Iron” is coming off a “Knockout of the Year” contender opposite Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, which led to a “Notorious” callout that will remain unanswered.

No other bouts have been announced for the upcoming UFC 281 event in New York and there’s still the possibility that Poirier vs. Chandler gets moved to a later card — or doesn’t happen at all, depending on whether or not both parties agree to a five-round fight, as per “The Diamond’s” request.

Stay tuned.