A bout between recent lightweight title challengers Dustin
Poirier and Michael
Chandler is in the works for the end of the year.
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According to a
report on “The MMA Hour,” the fight has been targeted for UFC
281, which takes place on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New
York. Meanwhile, promotion broadcast partner ESPN
confirmed that while the bout is in the works, Chandler prefers
that it take place in December. Poirier also reportedly wants the
fight to be contested over five rounds.
Poirier and Chandler were involved in a
brief confrontation while attending UFC 276 at the T-Mobile
Arena in Vegas on July 2. While it’s unclear what started the
altercation, both men had to be separated by security while they
yelled obscenities and threats at one another.
Poirier hasn’t competed since UFC 269, when he suffered a
third-round submission loss to Charles
Oliveira in a 155-pound title bout this past December. That
snapped a three-bout winning streak for the American Top Team
representative, who was coming off triumphs over Conor
McGregor (twice) and Dan
Hooker.
Chandler, meanwhile, authored a leading “Knockout of the Year”
candidate with a spectacular front kick finish of Tony
Ferguson in his most recent outing at UFC 274. The former
Bellator lightweight king had previously fallen to Justin
Gaethje at UFC 268 in Sherdog’s “Fight of the Year” winner for
2021 and to Charles
Oliveira in a bid for the vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 262.