Michael Chandler respects and admires Dustin Poirier.
That didn’t stop the former Bellator MMA champ from calling Poirier a quitter — which is a very popular word in the lightweight division — after “The Diamond” tapped to a rear-naked choke against Charles Oliveira in the UFC 269 pay-per-view (PPV) main event.
“I will admit, I will concede maybe using the word ‘quit’ was a little bit harsh, especially against one of the good guys,” Chandler told MMA Fighting. “People are probably like how are you going to come at Dustin Poirier, he’s one of the best guys in MMA, right? It was just me. Sorry for anybody out there who I offended who loves Dustin Poirier, sorry for anybody out there who thought it was a little bit too critical. But that’s how I was feeling in the moment. I love the sport, I love this division, I love fighting.”
After blitzing Dan Hooker in his Octagon debut, “Iron” posted back-to-back losses to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. That said, both contests were wall-to-wall action, with the latter earning Chandler a “Fight of the Night” bonus.
Perhaps that will be enough to land his long-desired Poirier fight?
“I don’t think Dustin Poirier’s a bad guy,” Chandler continued. “I don’t think he thinks I’m a bad guy. But as a competitor, he called me and Charles fighting ‘fool’s gold.’ He dismissed me saying he wouldn’t fight me in the UFC even after I knocked out Dan Hooker. So he was just a little bit more dismissive of me. I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I actually think he’s a great guy. I think he’s a phenomenal ambassador for the sport but he and I, when it comes to the competition aspect of us both being fighters inside the same division, I think we both have a little bit of a bone to pick with each other.”
Or as Poirier put it: “These guys need ass whoopings.”