Michael Chandler has re-ignited his once-fiery feud with the hot sauce-hawking lightweight fan favorite, Dustin Poirier.
17 months removed from their epic encounter at UFC 281, Chandler decided to kickstart things with ‘The Diamond’ by taking a dig at the former interim champion’s saucy side hustle.
“The old ‘I’d rather sell hot sauce vibe…‘ Chandler wrote on X, referencing a quote from current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Penning.
Clearly recognizing the dig, Poirier fired back, reminding ‘Iron’ how things played out during their first and only encounter inside the Octagon.
“Remember when I whipped your ass?” Poirier posted in response.
Chandler quickly snapped back, “He just can’t help himself. Calm down champ, life ain’t that serious. Whip my ass you did not…and you know it. I got caught, it happens in this game, as you well know.”
Chander lost the fight with Poirier via rear-naked choke in the third round. He has not fought since.
Michael Chandler closes in on fight with Conor McGregor while Dustin Poirier eyes title clash with Makhachev
Instead of staying active, the former Bellator MMA champion has chosen to sit on the sidelines, waiting for Irish megastar Conor McGregor to make his quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history.” It now looks as though Chandler’s patience is about to pay off as UFC CEO Dana White recently teased the imminent return of McGregor with many believing that the official announcement will go down at UFC 300 on Saturday night (April 13).
As for Dustin Poirier, ‘The Diamond’ is fresh off a spectacular come-from-behind victory over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299. With the promotion’s more viable contenders — Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan — all booked for UFC 300, Poirier could find himself stepping in and scoring another shot at the lightweight title, currently held by Islam Makhachev.
