“Yeah, I mean, not really,” Chandler told reporters on fighting Poirier during Wednesday’s UFC 309 media day. “I mean, Dustin’s got a win over me. He’s never going to take the chance in one of his last couple of fights to put that on the line and lose to me and have that stain on him the rest of his life. So, I know that for sure.
Chandler runs things back with Charles Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) in a co-main event Saturday UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
He has bigger plans than trying to avenge his loss against Poirier.
“I’m not really worried about it,” Chandler continued. “I will be ranked ahead of him Saturday night at midnight when I beat Charles Oliveira. We’ve got other options: Max for the BMF belt, Islam for the title obviously. You’ve still got the Conor fight, still got ‘TUF 31,’ finishing that which needs to be finished.
“We had a contract signed. There’s a lot of options for me, and I don’t think he’s necessarily one of them at all. Maybe someday we’ll squash the beef, probably not. I think we will at some point. Right now, we’re just two dudes in the same division looking towards the same thing.”
Dustin Poirier couldn’t stop Max Holloway when they fought, so he struggles to see Ilia Topuria doing living up to his KO call at UFC 308.
[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] is one of the most prolific knockout artists in UFC history. And if he couldn’t shut [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s light off, he struggles to see [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] doing so at UFC 308.
Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has been nothing short of adamant he will be the first to stop Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) with strikes in MMA competition when they meet in Saturday’s featherweight title headliner at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+). He has promise to turn the lights of on “Blessed” at every turn, which is a bold statement given Holloway has the most fights in octagon history without being put down.
Poirier, who was one of the few fighters to stagger Holloway in the octagon in their epic Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 236 in April 2019, struggles to see Topuria doing what so many others before him couldn’t.
“To go out there and one-punch Max is going to be almost impossible, I think,” Poirier said on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn. “It can happen, for sure. But I don’t think it will.”
Poirier will be working as a desk analyst for UFC 308 alongside Brendan Fitzgerald, Chael Sonnen and Din Thomas. He is leaning toward Holloway leaving with the belt in the highly anticipated encounter, but said it would be a tremendous statement from Topuria if he can get the job done.
“This is a big test,” Poirier said. “If he goes in there and beats Max or lasts with Max in the volume game and outpoints him, outfights him technically on the feet – that’s going to say so much about Ilia and where he’s going to go.
“I can’t pick against Max. I could see Topuria winning, but just Max, the experience and the championship fights he’s been in.”
Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC 308 on pay-per-view and ESPN+.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
The UFC’s 12th pay-per-view event of 2024 goes down Saturday in the United Arab Emirates.
Here’s how to watch UFC 308 with the featherweight title on the line at the top of the card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Broadcast and streaming info
Jon Anik, Paul Felder, Daniel Cormier
UFC 308 has a main card that begins at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) on pay-per-view (via ESPN+). The nine-fight preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET.
[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag], [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag] will serve as a desk analysts on the UFC 308 post-fight show and throughout the card, when necessary. [autotag]Brendan Fitzgerald[/autotag] will serve as the host.
[autotag]John Gooden[/autotag] will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC 308 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside.
He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators and UFC Hall of Famer Cormier and Felder.
(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)
Main event: Ilia Topuria
Jun 24, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Ilia Topuria (blue gloves) leaves the ring after he wins a unanimous decision against Josh Emmett (red gloves) in a featherweight bout during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC Opponent: Max Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) Division: Featherweight Key wins: Alexander Volkanovski, Josh Emmett, Bryce Mitchell Misc.: Knocked out Volkanovski, who has three wins over Holloway, to win the title in February. Bonuses in four straight fights.
Main event: Max Holloway
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Max Holloway (blue gloves) fights Justin Gaethje (red gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC Opponent: Ilia Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) Division: Featherweight Key wins: Justin Gaethje, Chan Sung Jung, Arnold Allen, Yair Rodriguez, Calvin Kattar, Frankie Edgar, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo (twice), Charles Oliveira Misc.: Has three straight wins since his third shot at Volkanovski in July 2022. His “BMF” win over Justin Gaethje was a double bonus winner and regarded as one of the greatest moments in MMA history. Holloway’s title run was one of the greatest, but it’s been nearly five years since he held the featherweight belt.
Co-main event: Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev def. Kamaru Usman, UFC 294
Record: 13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC Opponent: Robert Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) Division: Middleweight Key wins: Kamaru Usman, Kevin Holland, Gilbert Burns, Li Jingliang Misc.: Chimaev is back for the first time in a year. A severe illness took him out of the fight in June.
Co-main event: Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker def. Ikram Aliskerov, UFC on ABC 6
Record: 27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC Opponent: Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) Division: Middleweight Key wins: Ikram Aliskerov, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Kelvin Gastelum, Jared Cannonier, Darren Till, Yoel Romero (twice), Ronaldo Souza, Derek Brunson Misc.: Former champ has back-to-back wins over Costa and Aliskerov, the latter of which was a bonus-winning first-round knockout in June after Chimaev pulled out of their fight.
UFC debut: Carlos Leal
2023 PFL 9: New York at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Record: 21-5 Opponent: Rinat Fakhretdinov (22-1-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC) Division: Middleweight Key wins: Dilano Taylor, Ray Cooper III Misc.: 30-year-old Brazilian has fought for Bellator and in two PFL seasons.
UFC debut: Raffael Cerqueira
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBTcZwBJg5R
Record: 11-0 Opponent: Ibo Aslan (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) Division: Middleweight Misc.: 34-year-old Brazilian was supposed to fight on DWCS in September, but two opponents pulled out on him. When he was booked a third time, the opportunity came to just skip the line and go straight to the show against Aslan.
UFC 308 main card betting odds
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic, UFC 308
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)
Champ Ilia Topuria (-245) vs. Max Holloway (+200) – for featherweight title
Khamzat Chimaev (-220) vs. Robert Whittaker (+180)
Magomed Ankalaev (-390) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (+290)
Dan Ige (+165) vs. Lerone Murphy (-195)
Shara Magomedov (-175) vs. Armen Petrosyan (+145)
UFC 308 prelim betting odds
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 16: (R-L) Chris Barnett punches Martin Buday of Slovakia in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 16, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Ibo Aslan (-120) vs. Raffael Cerqueira (+100)
Rafael dos Anjos (+235) vs. Geoff Neal (-290)
Myktybek Orolbai (-280) vs. Mateusz Rebecki (+230)
White reminded everyone that it was just two fights ago when Poirier knocked out surging contender Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March.
“Look at what he did. I mean, everybody was talking about his execution against Saint Denis, all that sh*t that was talked, and look at what he did,” White said after Dana White’s Contender Series 76 on Tuesday. “You can never count Poirier out. That’s up to him. He’s going to decide whether he wants to fight or doesn’t want to fight. It’s always up to them – it’s not up to me.
“But to say, ‘Oh, he should probably walk away right now?’ I don’t know about that. I didn’t think that Cormier should have walked away when he did, but Cormier did. He felt it was time to go, and he did it. He’s moved on, and he’s doing great. Look at the second career he has now – it’s unbelievable. All these other guys, they need to start thinking about that.”
Poirier never realized his goal of undisputed UFC gold, but was able to capture the interim lightweight title in 2019. He holds notable wins over Max Holloway twice, Conor McGregor twice, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Michael Chandler.
The UFC could be headed to New Orleans for the first time since 2015, according to state records and comments by Dustin Poirier.
It seems the wheels are spinning on a potential UFC event in New Orleans.
During a September meeting of the Louisiana State Boxing & Wrestling Commission, members discussed how the UFC was interested in heading to New Orleans sometime in 2025, according to state records obtained by MMA Junkie.
The commission also indicated that the event, should it happen, could occur in the first quarter of the year and feature [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag].
However during an interview Wednesday with Uncrowned, Poirier seemed to indicate the event might not happen until later in the year.
Poirier, 35, looks to bounce back from a failed title bid vs. Islam Makahchev in June. He teased a potential retirement after that fight, but it appears new life has been breathed into his career with a potential Louisiana send-off.
“Just how this thing unfolds, we’ll see when I do retire,” Poirier said. “It could be uno mas, it could be dos mas. I had a good meeting at the UFC headquarters. I was out there with Celsius at a trade show and I had a good meeting. So I could come back. My goal is to get a fight and an event here in Louisiana, whether that’s Lafayette, Louisiana or New Orleans. I want to lay the gloves down where I started fighting. That’s my goal.
“Just opponent availability, what makes sense. Behind the scenes, and people don’t understand this, these shows are booked a year in advance. I think a week ago, we were speaking about it, and he was already booked with pay-per-views through August. It’s hard to just throw things together last second. It takes a lot of planning. There are a lot of moving parts with these big UFC events. But my goal is to take my gloves off in Louisiana and retire at home.”
Should the UFC touch down in Louisiana, it’ll be the ninth time the state has hosted the promotion overall – but the first since a Dan Henderson vs. Tim Boestch-headlined card in June 2015.
Poirier knows he doesn’t have too many fights left in him but would be all in for a four-man BMF tournament between him, Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC), and Dan Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC). Poirier has history with all three fighters, going 1-1 with Gaethje, and defeating both Holloway and Hooker.
“That excites me because that kind of stuff is for the dogs, man,” Poirier told MMA Today. “That’s like the old PRIDE days or grand prixs, you know? That’s a real BMF. If you can fight in a tournament in one night, multiple opponents, I mean, dude, that’s kind of the definition of a BMF.”
White, who’s instantly shot down other tournaments before, had a positive reaction when asked about Poirier’s idea.
“Sounds fun,” White said during a Dana White’s Contender Series 75 post-fight news conference at the UFC Apex. “Never thought about it, but yeah, I love it.”
A tournament would also excite Hooker, who responded on “X.”
As for BMF champion Holloway, he will look to add another belt when he challenges featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in the UFC 308 main event Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi.
Celebrate MMA Junkie Radio’s 3,500th episode with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” as they welcomed in a plethora of big-name guests.
Thursday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio is like no other!
Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” celebrated their 3,500th episode with a special live stream of the show.
A plethora of big-name guests joined the show, including UFC stars of the past and present: [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag], Chael Sonnen, [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag], [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag], [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag], [autotag]Johny Hendricks[/autotag], and [autotag]Frank Trigg[/autotag]. Also joining the show were Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick, UFC reporter Megan Olivi, commedian/actor Joey Diaz, the legendary Burt Watson, as well as members of the MMA Junkie staff. Tune in!
You can watch the live stream of episode #3500 in the video above.
After taking time to decide his future, it appears former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will make the walk again.
[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] appears to have decided his fighting future.
“The Diamond” has been a professional fighter since 2009, and he knows his final days are ahead. Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) is coming off what he believed would be his final shot at claiming the undisputed UFC lightweight title at UFC 302.
After coming up short against Islam Makhachev in MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for June, Poirier said he would take some time with family to evaluate if he would fight again or retire.
At the beginning of August, Poirier told MMA Junkie he would take 30 days to decide his next step. Friday, Poirier posted on social media that he will return for one more fight, quoting Liam Neeson in “The Grey.”
“I will,” Poirier wrote in response to a fan saying they needed to see him make one more talk to the cage. “Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day, live and die on this day.”
Before and after his most recent bouts, Poirier, 35, has stated he must have a good reason to continue fighting. His last appearance was clear, with UFC gold on the line. It was an important goal, as he claimed interim gold in 2019 by defeating Max Holloway at UFC 236, but couldn’t reach undisputed status.
Poirier has traded wins and losses over his past five fights, all against the elite of the UFC’s lightweight division. His last string of consecutive victories came in 2020-21, when he defeated Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor in their second and third meeting.
Dustin Poirier had nice things to say when asked about Paddy Pimblett.
[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] had nice things to say about [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] when asked about the rising UFC star.
Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has often been criticized and discredited since joining the UFC roster, but “The Diamond” liked what he saw out of him in his most recent outing. Pimblett became the first fighter to submit King Green in the octagon, needing less than a round to choke him out last month at UFC 304.
The finish earned Pimblett a spot in the UFC’s lightweight rankings, and Poirier was impressed with his performance.
“He’s another one of those guys whose trajectory is like, if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s going to be – not that he’s not massive, but he’s on the right track,” Poirier told MMA Junkie in an interview facilitated by his new sponsors at Brooks Running for its “Let’s Run There” campaign to promote the role running plays in health and wellness
“When you talk like that and people like your personality, and you go out there and finish guys, you know, vets and legends like Bobby. Of course, going into the fight, I knew he could win, but to finish Bobby Green that way, I was very surprised. He’s talking the talk, walking the walk, man.”
After submitting Green, Pimblett called out Renato Moicano, who’s currently slated to face Benoit Saint Denis in a UFC Fight Night headliner Sept. 28 in Paris. Pimblett earned a whopping $200,000 bonus for his finish of Green.
Dustin Poirier sees a rapidly-approaching timeline where he’ll make a decision on his UFC fighting future.
More than two months removed from his title-fight loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] is still sorting through his process about fighting again.
Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) was very realistic prior to and after his fifth-round submission defeat to Makhachev in June. He knew it would almost certainly be his final shot at the undisputed lightweight belt, and therefor he needed to evaluate his priorities going forward after a more than 15-year career.
“The Diamond” recently took an extended vacation with family and friends, and during that time he had chances to think. He determined, alongside his wife Jolie, that a decision needs to be made sooner than later, and said the month of August will play a definitive role in judging his next move.
“Me and my wife kind of said when we get back from vacation we will – cause obviously you’re drinking and eating whatever you want on vacation – we’ll clean it up, go 30 days, August, and make a decision after that,” Poirier told MMA Junkie in an interview facilitated by his new sponsors at Brooks Running. “Get in shape, see how I feel. We’ll see, man. I don’t know. … I need to make a solid decision so I can get out of the limbo, because I’m still kind of like fighting myself every day. Not sure what I’m doing.”
If Poirier, 35, isn’t chasing the title, he needs to fight out what he’s competing for. He said he understands the risk of stepping into the octagon for the wrong reasons, and needs to be certain of himself if he’s ever going to commit to doing so again.
“Inside of me it’s like I’m battling it,” Poirier said. “I feel like I can’t leave. I can’t walk away. I know I still can do it. I know I can beat these guys. It’s like an internal struggle. It’s a battle for sure. I want to fight. But we’ll see.
“Nothing is guaranteed here. I don’t know what kind of battle I’m going to be in if I lose two-in-a-row. I’ve never lost two in a row. Nothing is guaranteed in this. If I do walk away I definitely want to walk away on a high note and a win. I don’t want to walk away on an L.”
Poirier, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, said his first steps will be to return to his home gym in Lafayette, La., and see how his body holds up to more intensive training after multiple physical issues stemming from the Fight of the Year candidate with Makhachev.
“I’m supposed to have surgery on my nose in October,” Poirier said. “But if I made a decision or something popped up, I could push it back or whatever. Who is there for me to fight? I’ve just got to do this 30 days, get in shape, get back on the mats hard. I haven’t been able to grapple. I’ve been able to hit the bag and stuff but I haven’t been able to grapple a lot. I might be able to now. My knee is feeling better. But I’m not sure how structurally sound my nose is. When somebody face cranks me or gets something across – I don’t know what’s going to happen. Rib is better. Ribs are getting better. That’ just a time thing. I don’t know. I’ve just got to get back on the mats and see how I feel and what’s out there for me and I’ll make a decision.”
Poirier’s heart appears to still have a strong bond to the fight game, and he admits a very desirable opportunity would be hard his back on. With Makhachev seemingly nursing a hand injury coming out of his fight with Poirier, there could be a potential interim title scenario in play. If the promotion needed an alternate option to face No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, then Poirier said he would jump on it.
“Yeah for sure (an interim title with Tsarukyan) interests me,” Poirier “I wonder what they’re going to do with that. Is Arman going to continue to wait for Islam? I don’t know when Islam is going to be back. I saw a thing that he might have to have surgery. We’ll see. The lightweight division has been so crazy over these past years.”
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