Tag: UFC 281

Michael Chandler downplays beef with Dustin Poirier: ‘There’s a tug of war between two dudes who’ve got the same goal’

Michael Chandler insists things aren’t personal between him and Dustin Poirier heading into UFC 281.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] insists things aren’t personal between him and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] heading into UFC 281.

Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) faces Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The top lightweights were involved in a verbal altercation at UFC 276 in July, which has led many to think that there’s beef between them.

But Chandler says a lot of what both he and Poirier have said has been taken out of context.

“I think there’s just a tug of war between two dudes who’ve got the same goal,” Chandler recently told MMA Junkie. “His goal is to step in the octagon and beat me and get his hand raised and continue to prove that he’s one of the best in the world. I have the exact same goal.

“There’s some things that have been said. He disrespected me right away and said he’d rather sell hot sauce. I said I’m a bigger draw than him. We’ve said some things that maybe we do believe, maybe we don’t really believe. Maybe it was something we got caught up in the moment on these microphones.”

Chandler, whose past two fights were a Fight of the Year contender against Justin Gaethje and a Knockout of the Year candidate over Tony Ferguson, never fails to entertain.

And with a dancing partner like Poirier, Chandler is expecting another fireworks-filled fight.

“He’s a consummate just dog,” Chandler said of Poirier. “He just goes hard. But we’ve put together a great game plan. I trained with one of his former coaches and some of his former teammates. I’ve been at (American Top Team) and trained at ATT years ago as he got Mike Brown in his corner, who is a genius. He’s got these guys who know me and my style well. I know him and his style well.

“There’s an immense amount of tape out there on him. There’s a decent amount of tape out there on me. So may the best man win on Nov. 12. But I can tell you this: I’m coming to put my foot on the gas and get that title shot that I think I will have after I win.”

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Claudio Puelles explains why he asked for Dan Hooker at UFC 281: ‘I wanted this fight specifically’

Claudio Puelles said he asked the UFC matchmakers to put him against Dan Hooker at UFC 281 and explained why he likes the matchup.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag] got what he wanted.

The rising UFC lightweight specifically asked to fight Dan Hooker and had his wish granted by the matchmakers. Puelles (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is scheduled to fight Hooker (21-12 MMA, 11-8 UFC) on Nov. 12 at UFC 281 in New York.

The Peruvian fighter thinks it’s the right next step for his career.

“I wanted this fight specifically,” Puelles told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I asked to fight Dan Hooker after my fight against Clay (Guida) in May. I talked to the matchmakers and I asked them for this fight.

“It took a bit for them to give it to me, and I even thought maybe it wouldn’t come together. I heard that Dan Hooker had switched managers and a few other things, so it’s not that I didn’t think he wanted to fight because I know he’ll fight anyone. But I thought maybe it was going to take a while, and they would just end up giving me someone else.

“But they put him in front of me, and I’m happy, and I’m taking this fight with responsibility – training hard and preparing myself mentally for that day.”

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Puelles is on a five-fight winning streak, which includes three kneebar submission finishes. In his most recent outing in April, he submitted Guida to win a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

The bout against Hooker will be the first time Puelles will face someone in the UFC’s official rankings, which is why he wanted the fight in the first place.

“I like the matchup and … he’s been in the top five,” Puelles said. “Not that long ago, when my training partner Michael Chandler entered the UFC, he was in the top five. I think he was (No.) 5. I remember that like it was yesterday. So fighting someone who’s been that highly ranked and is currently in the top 15, that’s something that interests me.”

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Georges St-Pierre has advice for UFC champ Israel Adesanya: ‘It’s heavy the crown, my friend’

Georges St-Pierre has offered some advice to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

[autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] has offered some advice to UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag].

St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC), a former two-division champion and UFC Hall of Famer, defended his welterweight title nine times before he relinquished the belt and stepped away from the sport in 2013.

St-Pierre cited the pressure of being champion as one of the main culprits of his decision to walk away and issued a warning to five-time defending middleweight champ Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) to stay the course.

“It’s heavy the crown, my friend, and it’s only going to get heavier for you,” St-Pierre said on Adesanya’s YouTube channel. “I’m honest with you. I like you. I’m telling you the truth: Heavy is the crown. Nobody can understand. But it gets worse, and it adds more weight to your shoulders every fight. Every fight is bigger and bigger, and the criticism is worse, and the expectations are more and more. Keep that fire.”

St-Pierre, who held UFC gold for almost six straight years at one point, recalled how being champion made it hard to differentiate between the genuine people and the people who had an agenda.

“Everybody would be nice with me,” St-Pierre said. “Everybody will be nice with you because of what you accomplished. I see how someone is nice, how he is with the waiter, how he is with the driver, how he is with the guy at the lobby. A lot of people, it’s insecurity – they try to be someone that they are not.”

Adesanya will look to notch his sixth title defense when he meets former kickboxing foe Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 main event next month at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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Justin Gaethje: Ideally, Dustin Poirier beats Michael Chandler and we rematch

Justin Gaethje wants to avenge his loss to Dustin Poirier – so is rooting for Poirier to beat Michael Chandler at UFC 281.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] wants to avenge his loss to [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag].

Gaethje (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) earned Fight of the Night for their barnburner at UFC on FOX 29 in 2018, but Gaethje was ultimately stopped in Round 4 by “The Diamond.”

Both lightweights went on to find success, capture interim titles and challenge for undisputed gold. Poirier is booked to face Michael Chandler at UFC 281 on Nov. 12 and if he gets past Chandler, Gaethje is eyeing a rematch next.

“There’s pretty big fights going on,” Gaethje told MMA Mania. “The championship, Beneil (Dariush) and (Mateusz) Gamrot, you’ve got Chandler and Poirier. Someone’s got to fight the winners and losers of all these fights. I don’t think I should fight the winner of the title fight, but I can fight the winner of any other of those fighters. I don’t want to fight Beneil.

“Ideally, Poirier beats Chandler. I’d like to fight Poirier. I mean, he beat me. That’s one win I’d like to get back. It was Fight of the Year, Fight of the Decade – Fight of a Couple Years, probably. That was a hell of a fight. So yeah, that’s ideal.”

Gaethje and Poirier are both coming off title fight losses to Charles Oliveira. “The Highlight” currently is sidelined due to nose surgery, but sees Poirier as the perfect fight to get back to title contention.

“I’d like to get that win back,” Gaethje added. “He’s ranked No. 1 or No. 2. I need two to three wins to get back to the title shot, so that would be ideal. I told them I’d be ready next year, so we’ll see how it goes.”

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Frankie Edgar set for retirement bout at UFC 281 vs. Chris Gutierrez

Frankie Edgar will make his final walk to the UFC cage under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

According to [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag], he has one (organized) fight left in him – and now it has a date, opponent, and location.

At UFC 281, a Nov.12 event set for Madison Square Garden in New York, the former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) will fight [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) in what he is saying will be his final outing.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking Thursday to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN first reported the news.

Edgar, 40, will look to snap a two-fight skid and enter retirement on a win. He most recently competed at UFC 268 in December 2021 when he was knocked out by Marlon Vera. Prior to that, Edgar was knocked out by a Cory Sandhagen flying knee.

A likely future UFC Hall of Famer, Edgar has competed in high-level bouts since his promotional debut in 2007. He won the UFC lightweight championship against B.J. Penn in 2010 and defended it successfully twice after. Edgar fought for UFC titles four more times, but came up short in each.

Gutierrez, 31, has not lost in seven fights. He rides a three-fight winning streak into the bout that includes victories over Andre Ewell, Felipe Colares and Danaa Batgerel.

The latest UFC 281 lineup now includes:

  • Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira – for middleweight title
  • Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili – for strawweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier
  • Erin Blanchfield vs. Molly McCann
  • Dominick Reyes vs. Ryan Spann
  • Seungwoo Choi vs. Michael Trizano
  • Silvana Gomez Juarez vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
  • Renato Moicano vs. Brad Riddell
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
  • Dan Hooker vs. Claudio Puelles
  • Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Andre Petroski vs. Wellington Turman
  • Julio Arce vs. Montel Jackson
  • Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez

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Henry Cejudo: I don’t know why Dustin Poirier is on the pound-for-pound list

Henry Cejudo doesn’t think Dustin Poirier belongs in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] belongs in the UFC’s pound-for-pound standings.

Ex-UFC interim lightweight champion Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) currently is ranked No. 8 on the list. He is coming off a submission loss in a title fight against Charles Oliveira in December 2021 at UFC 269, but prior to that, scored back-to-back stoppage wins over former UFC dual-champ Conor McGregor.

In his past 11 fights, Poirier’s only two losses have come in title fights against Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov. But despite his impressive record, Cejudo thinks Poirier getting finished in those fights doesn’t warrant him a spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.

“Chandler doesn’t have a gold. Neither does Poirier,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t know why Poirier is pound-for-pound. I really don’t. If I was a champion and I had a belt, with all due respect to Poirier, there is no way you can put guys that have been knocked out and submitted and all that on the pound-for-pound list.”

Poirier will look to get back to the win column when he faces Michael Chandler at UFC 281 on Nov. 12. “The Diamond” never has lost two straight fights in his entire professional MMA career. According to Tipico Sportsbook, he is a -175 favorite against Chandler.

UFC 281 takes place Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

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Beneil Dariush: It’s ‘basically a clown show’ if Michael Chandler gets UFC title shot before I do

Beneil Dariush thinks it would be a joke if Michael Chandler emerged as the next lightweight title challenger after UFC 281.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] thinks it would be a joke if [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] emerges as the next lightweight title challenger after UFC 281.

Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on Dustin Poirier on Nov. 12 and expects to be next in line for a shot at gold with a win. But having already lost to Charles Oliveira in a title fight at UFC 262, followed by a loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 268, before rebounding with a knockout of Tony Ferguson, Dariush would be dumbfounded if Chandler leapfrogged him.

Dariush, who’s rattled off seven consecutive wins, is on his own quest for the belt as he looks to get past Mateusz Gamrot on Oct. 22 at UFC 280. He also has been dubbed as the official backup for the vacant lightweight title fight between Oliveira and Islam Makhachev at the same event.

“Honestly, I think he’s just trying to hype himself up,” Dariush told Helen Yee of Chandler. “I don’t think that’s true. But if that does happen, man, I will – that’s basically a clown show. What? The guy just had a title shot and lost and then lost again. So it doesn’t make sense. After I beat Gamrot, I don’t think there’s anyone who could step in front of me.”

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Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC) sees Poirier beating Chandler. He lauds Chandler for his well rounded skill set, but questions his decision making in fights, which he thinks has often cost him.

“I think if it’s three rounds, 60-40 I lean towards Dustin,” Dariush said. “Only because Michael Chandler’s focused so much on being exciting, I think he actually gives up a lot of his skill sets. I think he could actually do way better than he’s done. I think he’s, what, 2-2 in the UFC? I think he could be undefeated right now if he had a better mindset, but he’s so focused on being entertaining and exciting, he’s lost two fights.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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Dustin Poirier wishes Michael Chandler fight at UFC 281 was five rounds: ‘I like to get a rhythm and a timing’

Dustin Poirier would have liked more time to work in his upcoming fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 281 in New York.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] would have liked more time to work in his upcoming fight against [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag].

Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) meets Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in a pivotal lightweight clash at UFC 281 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York, but the fight will only be three rounds.

The UFC historically has booked non-title and non-headlining five-round fights before, but Poirier vs. Chandler won’t get that treatment. Having thrived in the championship rounds in the past, “The Diamond” thinks 25 minutes against Chandler would benefit him.

“I really wanted to do a five-round fight,” Poirier said in an interview with Heavy Sports. “Especially for me, I like to get a rhythm and a timing, and I feel like the better fighter. Unless something happens early in one of the first couple of rounds, the better fighter usually wins in the distance.”

Poirier sees former title challenger Chandler as a worthy opponent. While he’d love a dominant performance, Poirier is fully expecting a drag-out war and he welcomes it.

“He’s a former (Bellator) world champion. He’s one of the best 155-pounders in the world, so he’s a very, very tough opponent,” Poirier said. “If it’s Fight of the Year, that means it’s back-and-forth. I’d like it to be clean, one-sided if I could paint the perfect picture.

“But I don’t shy away from those fire fights. I’m going to try my best to stay calm under fire and technical, but if he competes to the best of his ability, and I do the same, it could be Fight of the Century.”

Poirier is coming off a title loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 this past December. The former interim lightweight champion is no stranger to bouncing back strong, which is why he sees his fight with Chandler as a must win.

“I feel like this is a huge fight in my career,” Poirier said. “First of all, I’ve never lost two fights in a row in my whole career. Since amateur, I’ve never lost two fights in a row. I want to prove to myself that I learn from mistakes – I get back to the grind, pick myself back up. And not only to myself, I want to prove to my family, the fans, my daughter that you can fall down and get back up and succeed. So this fight, for me personally, it’s very important for me to get a victory over another former world champion and add his name to my resume and legacy.”

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Islam Makhachev to Michael Chandler: ‘Please shut up and stay in line’

If Islam Makhachev and Michael Chandler win their next fights, the two might have a chance to settle this beef with UFC gold on the line.

Kind of how The Rock would say it, [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] would like [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] to know his role and shut his mouth.

Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) made that very clear Monday when he responded to criticism from Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on Twitter. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Chandler knocked Makhachev’s resume.

“He hasn’t really fought anybody,” Chandler said. “That’s really the truth.”

It is true that Makhachev is about to fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 on the strength of a TKO victory over unranked Bobby Green after Beneil Dariush withdrew from the scheduled matchup this past February. Prior to that, Makhachev’s biggest win was against Dan Hooker, who’s been on a downswing having lost four of his past five fights, including to Makhachev.

Still, Makhachev is on a 10-fight winning streak that dates back to September 2016, and he believes he’s rightfully getting a title shot next month in Abu Dhabi.

So after hearing Chandler’s words, Makhachev fired back.

Haha., your only two win [sic] in UFC is Hooker who came out of loss, and Tony who has 5 losses in the row now.,” Makhachev tweeted, “please shut up and stay in line:zipper_mouth_face: ”

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To Makhachev’s point about Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champion is 2-2 since joining the UFC, with wins over Hooker and Tony Ferguson by brutal front-kick knockout this past May at UFC 274. On the heels of beating Hooker by TKO, Chandler received a vacant title shot against Oliveira and lost by second-round TKO after winning the first round. Chandler’s other UFC loss was in the 2021 Fight of the Year against Justin Gaethje, who took a unanimous decision after a three-round war.

If Makhachev wins gold at UFC 280 and Chandler beats Dustin Poirier in November at UFC 281, it just might set up a title showdown between the two men.

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Jared Cannonier: Alex Pereira has power advantage, but Israel Adesanya altered his kickboxing style more for MMA

Alex Pereira got the best of Israel Adesanya in kickboxing, but Jared Cannonier doesn’t think that will be the case in MMA.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] got the best of [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] in kickboxing, but [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] doesn’t think that will be the case in MMA.

Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) challenges Adesanya for the middleweight title in the UFC 281 headliner Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Pereira has defeated “The Stylebender” in kickboxing twice, once by knockout.

But former title challenger Cannonier, who just lost to Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) by unanimous decision at UFC 276 in July, thinks the champion has had much more time to adjust to MMA, hence giving him the experience advantage.

“It definitely favors Izzy more,” Cannonier said in an interview with Helen Yee. “He’s been here longer. He’s had all these five-round championship fights with the best in our sport, so it’s definitely different. He definitely has the experience in that regard. He’s altered his kickboxing style more for MMA. Alex still has sort of a kickboxing base, his stance. Not to say that it’s a detriment to him, but it can be exploited as far as MMA goes. I think the advantage lies with Israel in that regard.”

It took Pereira only seven professional fights and three octagon bouts to earn a title shot. He starched Cannonier’s upcoming Dec. 17 opponent Sean Strickland with his patented left hook to punch his ticket to Adesanya, and Cannonier can see his pop being the difference maker.

“The power lies with Alex, for sure,” Cannonier added. “They’re both the same size, you know, so Alex is going to be a denser opponent, so he’s probably a little bit heavier. It’s definitely going to be an exciting fight.”

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