“Woke up 20 min before my alarm” – Michael Chandler seeks to channel his most ‘dangerous’ self against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281
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Michael Chandler (L), Dustin Poirier (R)
Michael Chandler is a juggernaut of a lightweight contender. With the amount of muscle on him, it’s hardly shocking that when he chooses to land jabs and hooks, the opponent usually doesn’t stand too good a chance.
That is, unless, you’re a top-five lightweight. Despite arriving from Bellator with a lot of fanfare and heavy expectations, Michael Chandler has yet to deliver a fight that will make the fans believe in his ability with confidence. This weekend he fights in New York City – if he can win inside the octagon, he will probably feel a lot safer as to his security amongst the division’s upper echelons.
And, it seems like Chandler is in a hunting mood. He recently tweeted, “It’s #ufc281 fight week and I woke up 20 min before my alarm, feeling dangerous. Y’all are in for a treat!”
The problem, however, with the energy he is outputting is the opponent he is facing. Dustin Poirier, his opponent, is no slouch by any shred of imagination. A two-time lightweight title contender, and form UFC lightweight interim champion, the Louisianan is one of the best boxing-based strikers in the UFC. And, his brand has really risen after two popular victories over Conor McGregor.
The events that lead up to the Michael Chandler- Dustin Poirier bout
If one were to ask any MMA fan, they would probably say that Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler are two of the nicest men in the lightweight division, right now. Poirier represents a feel-good story of beating the odds in a tough environment, fighting his out of it, and making a big name for himself, while Chandler is someone who has battled all of his life’s travails to reach the point he is at.
Hence, the obvious question is – why the animosity? Well, after UFC 257, when asked by a reporter, Dustin Poirier had said that he would ‘rather sell hot sauce, than fight Michael Chandler.’ Obviously, this didn’t sit too well with the 36-year-old. The two then clashed outside of the octagon at UFC 276, the video of which did the rounds on social media earlier this year.
After the publishing of the video, it seemed as if the two American fighters had completed the UFC’s promotional quota on their own accord – that is, with the barnstormers, they put on a show, every MMA fan was sold. One need only looks back to Chandler’s FOTY with Justin Gaethje.
It will be interesting to see who wins this bout at UFC 281. Both of them have a lot on the line – a loss for either could signify a slide down the rankings.
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)