Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier has unleashed a scathing critique of Michael Chandler, detailing personal encounters and in-cage incidents that have fueled their rivalry. Poirier has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind, and his assessment of Chandler is as blunt as it gets.
A Two-Faced Encounter?
Poirier recalled his first meeting with Chandler at a Bellator event, where he says Chandler was full of praise and admiration. Poirier told RG III on a podcast:
“He comes in the back, ‘I just wanted to come over and shake your hand. I respect you so much, man. Your career has been awesome. You’ve had so many great fights,'” Poirier recounted.
However, once Chandler transitioned to the UFC, Poirier noticed a complete shift in attitude. Their tension escalated to the point where security had to intervene at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during a heated confrontation.
“He’s fake, bro,” Poirier stated emphatically. “He might be a good person at home, but what I’ve experienced, my personal experience, he’s fake, man.”
The Fish Hooking
One of Poirier’s biggest grievances revolves around Chandler’s use of dirty tactics in their UFC 281 bout. Among them, the most egregious was Chandler’s attempt at what is commonly known as “fish hooking” — a banned maneuver in MMA.
Chandler was in control early in the round, securing a takedown in the second round. However, as he struggled to maintain dominance, he resorted to questionable methods. Poirier detailed how Chandler stuck his fingers in his mouth in an attempt to manipulate his positioning.
“He stuck his fingers in my mouth,” Poirier revealed. “If I didn’t have a mouthguard on my top teeth, if my teeth could touch together… I felt my bottom teeth go into his skin. I bet you he was cut.”
Chandler later tried to downplay the incident, claiming his hand slipped into Poirier’s mouth purely by accident.
“Yes, my hand went into his mouth because I drilled. I drilled reaching down, grabbing the chin, grabbing the chin, lifting it up and going for the rear naked choke about a thousand times,” Chandler told ESPN.
He continued:
“So when I reached down there and grabbed the top of his mouthpiece, which I now realize it was, or grabbing his mouthpiece obviously is the same shape as the chin in my mind. Mind-body connection going off of muscle memory… If you saw me ripping his lip and his skin, yeah, that’s fish hooking. But me grabbing his mandible, if you will, or grabbing his jaw?”
Despite his explanation, the footage of the incident suggests otherwise, and Poirier was having none of it.
Poirier’s Perspective
Poirier’s frustration with Chandler is evident. Not only did he call him out on the fish hooking, but he also accused him of another questionable act — blowing his nose while on top of him, potentially as an attempt to obstruct his breathing.
“Told him this is my house. That’s what I told him. I said, this is my house. You know, that’s it. And I told him he’s a dirty motherf***er, too, for putting his fingers in my mouth and blowing his nose. And, you know,” Poirier said right after the fight.
Chandler’s Contradictions
Interestingly, Chandler’s explanations seemed to change depending on the setting. At the post-fight press conference, his account of the incident was slightly different.
“I will admit, yes, his mouth was open and my hand went inside of there. It was on his mouthpiece. He bit down. I was trying to pull it out. He didn’t. It wasn’t as though I was trying to pull it out and he was biting it and I couldn’t get it out. It was more just the angle. I mean, you’re getting pushed up against the cage. I mean, it’s just and then there was… I mean, I think that was all.”
Chandler’s reluctance to take full responsibility only fueled Poirier’s anger. The Louisiana native believes in accountability and called Chandler out for his refusal to own up to his actions.
During an interview on The MMA Hour, at the time Poirier elaborated on the situation:
“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt, but the leverage you get on that grip. You know, he had his fingers on my top teeth where my mouth guard is. So he tried to get my neck up to lock in a choke. The leverage you get from gripping that is hard for me to keep my chin down… I bit the s**t out of his finger. I had my mouth guard in, so only my bottom teeth could get him.”
And years later Poirier isn’t over it
Poirier claims Chandler’s demeanor changed dramatically after joining the UFC. Their tension came to a head at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where security had to intervene during an encounter.
“He’s fake, bro,” Poirier stated emphatically. “He might be a good person at home, but what I’ve experienced, my personal experience, he’s fake, man.”
Poirier also accused Chandler of questionable tactics during their competition, including an incident involving blood and another where Chandler allegedly attempted to manipulate Poirier’s mouthguard.
“He stuck his fingers in my mouth,” Poirier revealed, describing a sequence where Chandler allegedly tried to pull his head up. “If I didn’t have a mouthguard on my top teeth, if my teeth could touch together… I felt my bottom teeth go into his skin. I bet you he was cut.”
The Louisiana native’s frustration was particularly evident when discussing Chandler’s denial of certain actions. “Just admit it, bro. You’re so fake,” Poirier added, emphasizing his belief in accountability.
