Dustin
Poirier is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career to
date — on the biggest stage possible. Meanwhile, Michael
Chandler had one of the most impressive UFC debuts in recent
memory.
According to Poirier, these things are not the same. “The Diamond”
avenged a 2014 loss to Conor
McGregor in the
UFC 257 headliner on Saturday night, as he stopped the Irish
superstar via technical knockout in the second round to put himself
in prime position for a lightweight title opportunity. Chandler, a
long-time Bellator MMA star, scored a first-round stoppage of
Dan
Hooker in the evening’s co-main event to insert himself into
the championship discussion as well.
With Khabib
Nurmagomedov looking less and less likely to return by the day,
the promotion’s 155-pound belt should be up for grabs in the near
future. Poirier is almost virtually assured of being part of that
equation. However, he knows one opponent he isn’t interested in
facing next.
“I can guarantee I won’t be fighting Michael Chandler,” Poirier
said at the UFC 257 post-fight press conference. “They can do
whatever they want with the division. I don’t really care. If
something makes sense, then we’ll do it.”
While Poirier is willing to give Chandler his due, he doesn’t
believe the former Bellator champion has compiled the resume inside
the Octagon necessary to warrant such a high-profile matchup.
“I’ve just been putting in work. That’s why I’m sitting here
feeling like I can talk about it, because I’ve been in the division
and the UFC for a long time, fighting the best of the best of the
best,” Poirier said. “No disrespect to [Chandler], he seems like a
good husband, a good father, he speaks well, has a lot of respect,
carries himself very well. It’s not a knock against him. It’s just
my feelings toward the division and the sport. I lost to Khabib [at
UFC 242], I came out and put on a ‘Fight of the Year’ [vs. Hooker]
for you guys, got my hand raised against a top-five opponent after
that. Then I come in there and Khabib doesn’t want to come back,
then I knock out one of the biggest fights you can get. I knock
this guy out, too.
“Khabib reiterates he doesn’t want to fight any more – dude, I’m
the champ. I’m not going to fight, some – and like I said, respect
to Chandler – a new guy to the UFC who just beat a guy that’s
coming off a loss that I just beat for the belt. That’s not
exciting to me.”
If Poirier gets to vie for the lightweight crown in his next
Octagon appearance, he points to Charles
Oliveira — a longtime UFC veteran currently on an eight-fight
winning streak that recently includes a dominant win over Tony
Ferguson — as someone who he feels is a more deserving
adversary.
“I think he has more [of a case],” Poirier said. “I’ve been
watching that guy for 10 years in the UFC, two different weight
classes. He’s fought the best of the best, over and over again.
And, he’s been knocked down and gotten up, and he’s proven what MMA
and perseverance is. I respect that. Not that I don’t respect
Michael Chandler. I just think there’s more work for him to do than
beat a guy I just beat.”
If not Oliveira, Poirier wouldn’t mind setting up a trilogy with
McGregor or tracking down Nate Diaz, whom he was briefly scheduled
to face at UFC 244 in November 2019.
“A rematch with Conor interests me,” Poirier said. “Always wanted
to whip Nate Diaz’s ass. That interests me. In fighting, I’m sure
something will make sense. But just right now, I don’t … me and
Conor are one and one. Nate Diaz got away and likes to talk a lot
of s–t online. I just gotta go back home and we’ll see.”